MRI in Radiation TherapyPeer-to-peer exchange of protocols, articles and tips

MReadings: MR in RT, 9th Edition, ASTRO 2023

Guest Editor: Yue Cao, Departments of Radiation Oncology, Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

MReadings: MR in RT, 8th Edition, ESTRO 2022

Guest Editor: Daniel Low, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

MReadings: MR in RT, 7th Edition, 2021

Guest Editor: Christian Kirisits, Department of Radiation Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

MReadings: MR in RT, 6th Edition, ESTRO 2020

Guest Editor: Caroline Chung, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

MReadings: MR in RT, 5th Edition, ESTRO 2019

Guest Editor: Jürgen Debus, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany

MReadings: MR in RT, 4th Edition, ESTRO 2018

Guest Editor: Paul Keall, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Australia
 

MReadings: MR in RT, 3rd Edition, ESTRO 2017

Guest Editor: David Jaffray, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada
 

MReadings: MR in RT, Second Extended Edition
 

Commissioning and Implementing a Quality Assurance Program for Dedicated Radiation Oncology MRI Scanners

Éric Poulin, et al. (Université Laval, Québec, Canada)

Contact
Kate Skehan, B.Med.Rad.Sc.
Senior MRI Radiographer
Department of Radiation Oncology
Calvary Mater Hospital
Newcastle, NSW 2298
Australia
Tel.: (02) 4014 3166
kate.skehan@calvarymater.org.au

Contact
Leah Best, MSc
Calvary  Mater Hospital
Newcastle, Newcastle,
NSW, Australia
leah.best@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au

Contact
Trina Herbert
The Royal Marsden
NHS Foundation Trust,
Sutton, UK
trina.herbert@rmh.nhs.uk

Contact
Eric Paulson, Ph.D., DABR
Assistant Professor and Senior Medical Physicist
Radiation Oncology, Radiology, and Biophysics
Medical College of Wisconsin
Radiation Oncology
8701 Watertown Plank Road
Milwaukee, WI 53223
USA
epaulson@mcw.edu

Contact
Associate Professor Gary Liney (UNSW)
Hon Principal Fellow, University of Wollongong Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research & Radiation Oncology
Liverpool Hospital, 1 Campbell Street
Liverpool NSW 2170
Australia
Phone: +61 2 8738 9221
gary.liney@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Robba Rai
Senior MRI Radiographer
Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre
robba.rai@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Contact
Maja Sohlin, Ph.D.
Medical Physicist
Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering
Bruna stråket 13
413 45 Gothenburg
Sweden
maja.sohlin@vgregion.se

Contact
Yue Cao, Ph.D.
Physics division
Department of Radiation Oncology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
USA
yuecao@med.umich.edu

Contact
Cynthia Ménard, M.D., FRCPC
Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal
Cancer Clinical Research Unit (CCRU)
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
1560 Sherbrooke St E
Montréal, QC
Canada, H2L 4M1
cynthia.menard@umontreal.ca

Magnets, Spins, and Resonances

An introduction to the basics of Magnetic Resonance.

Magnets, Flows, and Artifacts

Techniques and Applications of Magnetic Resonance.

MR Glossary

A Dictionary of Magnetic Resonance.

Bring-Your-Own-Phantom (BYOP): A Flexible Stand-Alone Distortion Analysis Prototype

Niranjan Venugopal, M.Sc., Ph.D., MCCPM; et al. (University of Manitoba, CancerCare Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada)

In order to optimize Radiotherapy Planning for MRI, care must be taken to reduce geometric distortions as much as possible. The myExam RT Assist¹ is designed with optimized protocols for Radiotherapy planning and is one tool to help mitigate distortions. For users who have created their own sequences or customized certain ones, other tools may help to reduce geometric distortions. For those users, there may be several specific parameters that need to be checked for each different sequence type. The Siemens Healthineers Generic View AddIn allows you to create a bespoke template for your individual needs enabling you to quickly move the AddIn from one sequence to the next to efficiently check your chosen parameters. Three examples are given for RESOLVE, TSE, and SPACE. E.g. where a T2 sequence has been optimized but a T1 is needed. The AddIn can be moved to the new sequence and the parameters checked prior to scanning.

Synthetic CT Generation for the Pelvic Region Based on Dixon-MR Sequences: Workflow, Dosimetric Quality and Daily Patient Positioning

Daniela Thorwarth, et al., University Hospital Tübingen, Germany

Optimizing MRI sequences and images for MRI-based stereotactic radiosurgery treatment planning

Ali Fatemi, Ph.D. et al., University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

Machine-specific MRI quality control procedures for stereotactic radiosurgery treatment planning

Ali Fatemi, Ph.D. et al., University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA

Whole-body MRI at 1.5T – step-by-step

Will McGuire, Anwar Padhanin et al., Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK

How-I-Do-It: Comprehensive RT-Specific QA for MRI Simulation

Eric Paulson, Ph.D., DABR, Medical College of Wisconsin, Radiation Oncology, Milwaukee, WI, USA

MRI Geometric Distoriton QA. Using the ACR MRI Accrediation Phantom

This document is a brief instruction on how the ACR (American College of Radiology) accreditation phantom can be used to evaluate geometric distortions in MRI for quality assurance (QA) purposes.

Evaluation of the CIVCO Indexed Patient Position System (IPPS) MRI-Overlay for Positioning and Immobilization of Radiotherapy Patients

Thomas Koch, Ph.D., et al., Klinik und Praxis für Strahlentherapie und Radioonkologie, Sozialstiftung Bamberg, Germany

MAGNETOM Combi Suite Radiation Therapy. Combining MRI Intelligence and Therapeutic Expertise

Annemarie Hausotte, Ph.D., Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany

MAGNETOM Skyra as an MR Sim

Gary Liney, Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre, Sydney, Australia

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

Why MRI in RT? The clinical motivation

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

What is MRI and how does it work? Part 1

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

What is MRI What is MRI and how does it work? Part 2

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

Challenges in MRI in RT

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

Solving the challenges of MR in RT 
Signla, noise, distortion - 1.5T vs. 3T

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

Solving the challenges of MR in RT 
Gradients, RF system and coils 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

Solving the challenges of MR in RT 
Sequences, incl. DWI, Perfusion, Spectroscopy

Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiation Therapy

Solving the challenges of MR in RT
QA for MR, MR Safety, MR Installation 

Magnets, Spins, and Resonances

An introduction to the basics of Magnetic Resonance.

Magnets, Flows, and Artifacts

Techniques and Applications of Magnetic Resonance.

MR Glossary

A Dictionary of Magnetic Resonance.

MRI Acronyms

MRI Acronyms is a cross-vendor comparison of sequences and techniques. It is helpful when switching from one vendor to another or when colleagues with different system experience work together.

30 years of MRI at Siemens

A success story.

Implementing MR-Only Workflows for Radiation Therapy Planning: Experiences from Clinical Practice

Krzysztof Ślosarek, Ph.D.; et al. (Radiotherapy Planning Department, National Institute of Oncology, Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute, Gliwice Branch, Poland)

Bringing Spectroscopic MRI Closer to Clinical Adoption: Results Guiding Radiation Treatment of High-Grade Gliomas

Hyunsuk Shim, PhD; et al. (Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA)

Combining CT-Based Online Adaptive Radiotherapy with Offline MR Guidance: The Modular Adaptive Radiotherapy System (MARS)

Fabian Weykamp, M.D.; et al. (Heidelberg University Hospital; DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany)

Biologically Targeted Radiation Therapy (BiRT): From Concept to Clinical Translation

Annette Haworth, Ph.D.; et al. (Institute of Medical Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Australia)

A Decade of Transformative Evolution: The MAGNETOM World RT Community

Elena Nioutsikou, Ph.D. (Varian, a Siemens Healthineers Company, Forchheim, Germany)

From CT to MR: Clinical Experience and Evaluation of MR-Only Simulation for Radiotherapy Planning of Brain Lesions

Jeffrey C.F. Lui, M.Sc. (Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong)

Brachytherapy Treatment Planning for Cervical Cancer Patients Using a Lower Magnetic Field MR Scanner

Tibor Major, PhD; et al. (Radiotherapy Centre, National Institute of Oncology, Budapest, Hungary)

4D-MRI for Treatment Planning of Liver Tumors

Jessica Scholey, Ph.D., DABR; et al. (Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA)

Editorial Comment

Daniel Low, Ph.D., FAAPM, FASTRO (University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), USA)

PETRA Sequence for Catheter Detection in Interstitial High-Dose-Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy

Evangelia Kaza, Ph.D.; Ivan Buzurovic, Ph.D. (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)

The Application and Utility of Radiotherapy Planning MRI at the Cancer Institute Hospital of JFCR

Yasuo Yoshioka, M.D., Ph.D. (Cancer Institute Hospital of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo, Japan)

Rhydian Powell, et al. (North West Cancer Centre, Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Londonderry, Northern Ireland)

MRI-only Based External Beam Radiation Therapy of Prostate Cancer

Jean-François Cabana, M.Sc.; et al. (Centre régional intégré de cancérologie de Chaudière-Appalaches (CRIC), Lévis, QC, Canada)

Optimization of MR Acquisition for Brain Irradiation

Christoph Bert, Ph.D.; et al. (Dept. of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Erlangen, Germany)

Clinical Evaluation of a Receiver Coil Custom Designed for MR Simulation of Immobilized Patients

James M Balter, Ph.D.; et al. (Dept. of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA)

Implementation of a Process for Radiosurgery Incorporating Functional MRI

Ricardo Ruggeri, MSc.; et al. (Medical physics department, Leben Salud, Patagonia, Argentina)

Clinical Implementation of MR-Guided RT for Prostate Cancer in Halcyon-System

Mandy Zimmermann, et al., Radiologische Allianz, Hamburg, Germany

Advancing MR to Fulfil its Role in Oncology: Time to Finish the Privot from Adjunctive to Essential

Caroline Chung, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Clinical Implementation and Evaluation of MR-only Radiotherapy Planning for Brain Tumors

David Roberge and Jean-Charles Côté, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Canada

MR Imaging in Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia

Krzysztof Ślosarek et al.,Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland

MRI for Target Delineation in Radiotherapy – an Overview of Treatment Indications

Florian Putz, et al., Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany

Post Treatment MR of Prostate Cancer

Silvia D. Chang, et al., Vancouver General Hospital and BC Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Editorial Comment: MR-guided Radiotherapy: the Beginning of a New Era?

Jürgen Debus, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany

10 Years of Clinical Experience of MRI in Radiotherapy Treatment Planning: The Newcastle upon Tyne Story

Hazel McCallum, et al., Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

The Importance of Collaboration between Clinical Radiology and Radiation Oncology in the Era of Precision Radiation Therapy

Amish Lakhani, et al., Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK

Synthetic CT Generation for the Pelvic Region Based on Dixon-MR Sequences: Workflow, Dosimetric Quality and Daily Patient Positioning

Daniela Thorwarth, et al., University Hospital Tübingen, Germany

Editorial Comment: MRI and cancer radiotherapy

Paul Keall, University of Sydney, Australia

Replacement of a CT-simulator with an MRI-simulator within a radiation oncology department

Peter Greer et al., Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia

MRI for prostate and gynecological brachytherapy is here to stay

Firas Mourtada, Ph.D. et al., Helen F. Graham Cancer Center & Research Institute, Newark, USA

MR-only guided proton therapy: advances, future perspectives and challenges

R.J.H. Borra, M.D., Ph.D. et al., University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

MR-simulation for radiotherapy treatment planning of head and neck cancer using 3T MAGNETOM Vida

Daniela Thorwarth et al., University of Tübingen, Germany

Dynamic 2D magnetic resonance imaging for assessment of larynx motion in early glottic cancer radiotherapy

Houda Bahig, M.D. et al., Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

Improved therapy response assessment in metastatic brain tumors

Kyrre Eeg Emblem, Ph.D. et al., Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

Spectroscopic MRI for dose-escalated radiation therapy

Hyunsuk Shim, Ph.D. et al., Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

MyoMap quantification of myocardial toxicity following concurrent chemoradiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma

Gary Liney et al., Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre, Sydney, Australia

First experience of 4D-MRI for abdominal radiotherapy planning

Andrew Oar et al., Liverpool and Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, Sydney, Australia

Quantitative WB-MRI with ADC histogram analysis for response assessment in diffuse bone disease

Anwar R. Padhani et al., Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom

Diffusion and perfusion MR parameters to assess preoperative short course radiotherapy response in locally advanced rectal cancer: a comparative explorative study among parameters derived from standardized index of shape DCE-MRI, intravoxel incoherent motion and diffusion kurtosis imaging

Biagio Pecori et al., Istituto Nazionale Tumori (IRCCS), Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy

Editorial Comment: MRI in Radiation Therapy

David A. Jaffray, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada

4D-MRI Sequence for Radiotherapy Application: Validation of a Retrospective Method on a Motion Phantom

Soléakhéna Ken, Ph.D. et al., Institut Universitaire du Cancer de Toulouse Oncopôle, Toulouse, France

MRI in Head and Neck Radiotherapy Planning

Houda Bahig, M.D. et al., Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

Optimizing Fiducial Markers for MRI-based Radiotherapy

Ingemar Näslund, M.D., Ph.D. et al., Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Performing Gynecologic Brachytherapy in the Medical Innovation Technical Expert Center

Lia Verhoef et al., Department of Radiation Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands

Early Measures of Perfusion and Diffusion Changes Using a Standardized Analysis Platform Evaluated in Brain Metastases Treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Catherine Coolens, Ph.D. et al., Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Integration of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging / Diffusion Tensor Imaging into Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning of Brain Tumors

Tong Zhu, Ph.D. et al., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Initial Clinical Experience Utilizing 4D-MRI for Radiation Treatment Planning

Eric S. Paulson, Ph.D., DABR et al., Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Metastatic Prostate Cancer in Practice – the MET-RADS-P Imaging Response System Using Whole-body MRI

Prof. Anwar R. Padhani, MB, BS, FRCP, FRCR et al., Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, Northwood, Middlesex, UK

Observing Endocrine Therapy Resistance in Metastatic Breast Cancer with Whole-body MRI

Anwar R. Padhani et al., Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, Northwood, Middlesex, UK

Whole-body Diffusion-weighted MR Image Analysis with syngo.via Frontier MR Total Tumor Load

Robert Grimm, Ph.D. et al., Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany

Whole-body MR Image Reading and Bone Assessment with syngo.via Frontier MR Bone Scan

Matthias Fenchel, Ph.D. et al., Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany

Magnet Homogeneity and Shimming

Mathias Blasche, MS et al., Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany

Radiotherapy Planning Using MRI

Maria A. Schmidt, Ph.D. et al., Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK

Benefits of Time-Correlated and Breath-Triggered MR

Soléakhéna Ken, Ph.D. et al.,  Institut Universitaire du Cancer de Toulouse Oncopôle, Toulouse, France

Comprehensive RT-Specific QA for MRI Simulation

Eric Paulson, Ph.D., DABR, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Management of MRI Spatial Accuracy for Radiation Therapy

Teo Stanescu, PhD et al., Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada

MRI in Clinical Radiation Oncology: Dosimetry and Patient-Specific Plan Verification

Niko Papanikolaou, Ph.D. et al., University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA

MR-guided Gynecological High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy

Joann I. Prisciandaro, Ph.D. et al., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Multi-parametric MRI at 3 Tesla for Prediction of Treatment Response in Rectal Cancer

Dr. Trang Pham et al., Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre, Sydney, Australia

Significant Benefit of Optimized 3D SPACE Sequences in Radiation Therapy Treatment

Maja Sohlin, Ph.D. et al., Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden

The Potential Role of Ultrashort Echo Time Sequences in MRI Guided Radiotherapy

Gary Liney et al., Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia

4D-MRI: Future of Radiotherapy of Moving Targets?

Antony John Lomax et al., Center for Proton Therapy (CPT), Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen PSI, Switzerland

Development of MR-only Planning for Prostate Radiation Therapy Using Synthetic CT

Peter Greer, Ph.D. et al., Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

myExam RT Assist¹

Gregor Thörmer, Ph.D. et al., Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany

Anatomical and Functional MRI for Radiotherapy Planning of Head and Neck Cancers

Maria A. Schmidt, Ph.D. et al., Cancer Imaging Centre, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK

syngo.via RT Image Suite: Empower Radiation Therapy with MRI Information

Elena Nioutsikou, Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany

Technical Aspects of MR-only Radiotherapy

Tufve Nyholm et al., Umeå University, Sweden

A Dedicated MRI Scanner for Radiotherapy Planning: Early Experiences

Gary Liney, Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia

MR-guided Gynecological High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy

Joann I. Prisciandaro, Ph.D. et al., Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Clinical Application of Diffusion Tensor Imaging in Radiation Planning for Brain Tumors

Jatta Berberat, Ph.D. et al., Radiation Oncology, Canton Hospital, Aarau, Switzerland

Optimizing MRI for Radiation Oncology: Initial Investigations

James M. Balter, Ph.D., FAAPM et al., Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Case Report: Functional, Volumetric, Treatment Response Assessment Using MR OncoTreat

Ihab R. Kamel, M.D., Ph.D. et al., The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA

Spectroscopic MRI for dose-escalated radiation therapy

Hyunsuk Shim, Ph.D. et al., Department of Radiation Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

Watching Cancer Develop Multidrug Resistance

Prof. Anwar R. Padhani, MB, BS, FRCP, FRCR et al., Paul Strickland Scanner Centre, Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom

Tumor therapy assessment with OncoTreat

Peter Gall, Ph.D., Siemens Healthineers, Erlangen, Germany

MRI in the Radiotherapy Process, Now and in the Future

Mikael Karlsson, Umeå University Hospital, Umeå, Sweden