2012 Free to Breathe Young Investigator Research Grant
Tokihiro Yamamoto, PhD
Stanford University School of Medicine
Research Project:
Effectiveness of 4D CT Scans
Summary:
Radiation is a mainstay in the lung cancer treatment arsenal. However, it can be challenging to avoid harming lung tissues surrounding the tumor. Surrounding lung tissues may be healthy, or they may be unhealthy due to cancer, or other lung conditions. If doctors can better understand which tissues are truly healthy vs. unhealthy, the geometry of the radiation beam can be planned to specifically avoid harming the healthy tissue. This research project aims to develop, optimize and validate a new method for imaging the healthy and unhealthy portions of the lung using four-dimensional computed tomography (4D CT). Dr. Yamamoto will compare 4D CT results of 30 lung cancer patients with another currently accepted, but less available scan method to determine whether 4D CT scans can be used to accurately image healthy vs. unhealthy portions of the lung.