Cancer incidence projections for Lisbon and Santarém districts: an aid to radiotherapy services planning

Will the existing means in Radiotherapy respond to the needs of the potential user population in 2014 for Lisbon and Santarém districts? Number of treatment units? Number of Radiotherapy Technologists? Temporal variations of the dimension and age structure of the populations: Coastal areas/Interior areas, Urban areas/Rural areas. Temporal variations in the incidence of several types of cancer. Overall objectives: evaluate of the necessities of Radiotherapy for Lisbon and Santarém districts in 2014 and elaboration of proposals that aim the access/use for the potential user population.

Comparison of different breast planning techniques and algorithms for radiation therapy treatment

This work aims at investigating the impact of treating breast cancer using different radiation therapy (RT) techniques – forwardly-planned intensity-modulated, f-IMRT, inversely-planned IMRT and dynamic conformal arc (DCART) RT – and their effects on the whole-breast irradiation and in the undesirable irradiation of the surrounding healthy tissues. Two algorithms of iPlan BrainLAB treatment planning system were compared: Pencil Beam Convolution (PBC) and commercial Monte Carlo (iMC). Seven left-sided breast patients submitted to breast-conserving surgery were enrolled in the study. For each patient, four RT techniques – f-IMRT, IMRT using 2-fields and 5-fields (IMRT2 and IMRT5, respectively) and DCART – were applied. The dose distributions in the planned target volume (PTV) and the dose to the organs at risk (OAR) were compared analyzing dose–volume histograms; further statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS v20 software. For PBC, all techniques provided adequate coverage of the PTV. However, statistically significant dose differences were observed between the techniques, in the PTV, OAR and also in the pattern of dose distribution spreading into normal tissues. IMRT5 and DCART spread low doses into greater volumes of normal tissue, right breast, right lung and heart than tangential techniques. However, IMRT5 plans improved distributions for the PTV, exhibiting better conformity and homogeneity in target and reduced high dose percentages in ipsilateral OAR. DCART did not present advantages over any of the techniques investigated. Differences were also found comparing the calculation algorithms: PBC estimated higher doses for the PTV, ipsilateral lung and heart than the iMC algorithm predicted.

Comparison of inverse planning systems based on biological or physical factors: Pinnacle®, Corvus® and Monaco®

Radiotherapy (RT) is one of the most important approaches in the treatment of cancer and its performance can be improved in three different ways: through the optimization of the dose distribution, by the use of different irradiation techniques or through the study of radiobiological initiatives. The first is purely physical because is related to the physical dose distributiuon. The others are purely radiobiological because they increase the differential effect between the tumour and the health tissues. The Treatment Planning Systems (TPS) are used in RT to create dose distributions with the purpose to maximize the tumoral control and minimize the complications in the healthy tissues. The inverse planning uses dose optimization techniques that satisfy the criteria specified by the user, regarding the target and the organs at risk (OAR’s). The dose optimization is possible through the analysis of dose-volume histograms (DVH) and with the use of computed tomography, magnetic resonance and other digital image techniques.

Helical tomotherapy versus 3D conformal radiotherapy in dosimetric planning for patients with localized prostate cancer

Radiotherapy is one of the therapeutics selected for localized prostate cancer, in cases where the tumour is confined to the prostate, penetrates the prostatic capsule or has reached the seminal vesicles (T1 to T3 stages). The radiation therapy can be administered through various modalities, being historically used the 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT). Other modality of radiation administration is the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), that allows an increase of the total dose through modulation of the treatment beams, enabling a reduction in toxicity. One way to administer IMRT is through helical tomotherapy (TH). With this study we intent to analyze the advantages of helical tomotherapy when compared with 3DCRT, by evaluating the doses in the organs at risk (OAR) and planning target volumes (PTV).

Design and construction of tunnels in zones subjected to high convergences

The economic development of a region depends on the speed that people and goods can travel. The reduction of people and goods travel time can be achieved by planning smooth road layouts, which are obtained by crossing natural obstacles such as hills, by tunneling at great depths, and allowing the reduction of the road alignment length. The stress state in rock masses at such depths, either because of the overburden or due to the tectonic conditions of the rock mass induces high convergences of the tunnel walls. These high convergence values are incompatible with the supports structural performance installed in the excavation stabilization. In this article it is intended to evaluate and analyze some of the solutions already implemented in several similar geological and geotechnical situations, in order to establish a methodological principle for the design of the tunnels included in a highway section under construction in the region influenced by the Himalayas, in the state of Himachal Pradesh (India) and referenced by "four laning of Kiratpur to Ner Chowk section".

Geological and geotechnical surveys in tectonically active rock masses

The economic development of a region depends on the speed that people and goods can travel. The reduction of people and goods travel time can be achieved by planning smooth road layouts, which are obtained by crossing natural obstacles such as hills, by tunneling at great depths, and allowing the reduction of the road alignment length. The stress state in rock masses at such depths, either because of the overburden or due to the tectonic conditions of the rock mass induces high convergences of the tunnel walls. These high convergence values are incompatible with the supports structural performance installed in the excavation stabilization. In this article it is intended to evaluate and analyze some of the solutions already implemented in several similar geological and geotechnical situations, in order to establish a methodological principle for the design of the tunnels included in a highway section under construction in the region influenced by the Himalayas, in the state of Himachal Pradesh (India) and referenced by "four laning of Kiratpur to Ner Chowk section".

Planning smart cities using wireless low energy monitoring systems

Thesis to obtain the Master Degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering