AUTHOR=Hadjicharalambous Myrianthi , Roussakis Yiannis , Bourantas George , Ioannou Eleftherios , Miller Karol , Doolan Paul , Strouthos Iosif , Zamboglou Constantinos , Vavourakis Vasileios TITLE=Personalised in silico biomechanical modelling towards the optimisation of high dose-rate brachytherapy planning and treatment against prostate cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=15 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2024.1491144 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2024.1491144 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=

High dose-rate brachytherapy presents a promising therapeutic avenue for prostate cancer management, involving the temporary implantation of catheters which deliver radioactive sources to the cancerous site. However, as catheters puncture and penetrate the prostate, tissue deformation is evident which may affect the accuracy and efficiency of the treatment. In this work, a data-driven in silico modelling procedure is proposed to simulate brachytherapy while accounting for prostate biomechanics. Comprehensive magnetic resonance and transrectal ultrasound images acquired prior, during and post brachytherapy are employed for model personalisation, while the therapeutic procedure is simulated via sequential insertion of multiple catheters in the prostate gland. The medical imaging data are also employed for model evaluation, thus, demonstrating the potential of the proposed in silico procedure to be utilised pre- and intra-operatively in the clinical setting.