Deep learning for segmentation of the cervical cancer gross tumor volume on magnetic resonance imaging for brachytherapy.

Journal: Radiation oncology (London, England)
Published Date:

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Segmentation of the Gross Tumor Volume (GTV) is a crucial step in the brachytherapy (BT) treatment planning workflow. Currently, radiation oncologists segment the GTV manually, which is time-consuming. The time pressure is particularly critical for BT because during the segmentation process the patient waits immobilized in bed with the applicator in place. Automatic segmentation algorithms can potentially reduce both the clinical workload and the patient burden. Although deep learning based automatic segmentation algorithms have been extensively developed for organs at risk, automatic segmentation of the targets is less common. The aim of this study was to automatically segment the cervical cancer GTV on BT MRI images using a state-of-the-art automatic segmentation framework and assess its performance.

Authors

  • Roque Rodríguez Outeiral
    Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066, Amsterdam, CX, The Netherlands.
  • Patrick J González
    Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066, Amsterdam, CX, The Netherlands.
  • Eva E Schaake
    Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  • Uulke A van der Heide
    Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  • Rita Simões
    Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066, Amsterdam, CX, The Netherlands. r.simoes@nki.nl.