The Humphrey Oei Distinguished Lecture Series

Venue:
Audience: Healthcare Professionals
Cost: Free

The NCCS' Humphrey Oei Distinguised Lecture Series aspires to be one of Singapore's leading forums or intellectual inquiry and discussion in cancer and biological research. With eminent scientists as guest speakers, the series hopes to create an environment for exploration of ideas and advances in cancer biology and medicine.

Programme

The relationship between 3-dimensional dose distributions and risks on radiation-induced side effects can be described by Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) models. NTCP-models may contain only one dose-volume predictor (dose metrics), but generally the performance of these model significantly improve when adding multiple other predictors (multivariable NTCP-models).

According to the model-based approach, next to outcome prediction, NTCP-models can be applied for dose optimization, selecting the best radiation technology, plan adaptation and even technology validation.

For many side-effects, the risk may depend on more than one dose metrics to different organs at risk (OARs). To produce treatment plans that eventually result in adequate target dose coverage with the lowest probability on side effects, dose distributions to OARs should be translated into NTCP-profiles using NTCP-models (model-based dose optimization). For the selection of the best treatment plan, or even for the selection of patients for more advanced radiation technologies, like protons, information on NTCP-profiles next to dose profiles are essential to ultimately obtain the best clinical result.

Speaker Profile

Professor Hans Langendijk

Professor Johannes “Hans” A. Langendijk studied Medicine at the VU University in Amsterdam. He was trained as a radiotherapist-oncologist at the Radiotherapeutic Institute Limburg in Heerlen and Maasricht.

From 1997 to 2004, he worked as a radiotherapist-oncologist at the Radiotherapy department of the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam. During that period he further specialized in radiotherapy of tumors in the main neck area.

In October 2004, he worked as a professor / department head at the Radiotherapy department of the University Medical Center Groningen. He is particularly interested in head and neck oncology, prevention of radiation-induced complications and the development of innovative methods for the development and clinical validation of new radiotherapy techniques, such as proton therapy.

Hans Langendijk holds various administrative positions at home and abroad, including as chairman of the Landelijk Platform Protonentherapie (LPPT) [National Proton Therapy Platform] and within the European Proton Therapy Platform (EPTN).