2024
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Tuesday Tue
Location
Medical Physics Seminar - Thomas "Rock" Mackie
Upright Radiotherapy and Radiology
Time:
12:00pm – 1:00pm Seminar & Discussion
Location:
Zoom Webinar
Webinar Registration:
https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9iuyc3I2RP2pZiRYInlPgQ
Check your email for the Zoom webinar link after you have registered
Dr Thomas "Rock" Mackie, PhD, Emeritus Professor, University of Wisconsin
Thomas “Rock” Mackie has a BSc in Physics (1980) from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD in Physics (1984) from the University of Alberta. He was a Professor of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin from 1987 to 2014 and since is an emeritus professor. He has been awarded the Coolidge Gold Medal from the AAPM (2014), the Gold Medal from ASTRO (2019) and the John Mallard Award for Innovation from the IOMP (2019) and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He is a commissioner of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) as well as the Vice-Chair of its Board. Rock Mackie has a long entrepreneurial career both as an academic and since retiring as a professor. He is best known for the Pinnacle, a radiation therapy treatment planning system, and TomoTherapy, a CT-guided intensity modulated radiotherapy company.
Disclosures: Rock Mackie is a co-founder of Leo Cancer Care, which is developing upright radiotherapy and OnLume a fluorescent-guided surgery company. He is a board member of Shine Medical Technologies selling neutron radiography services and medical isotopes using fusion and fission nuclear reactions. He is a board member of Cosylab, a software consulting company for scientific discovery and medicine.
Abstract
Treating radiotherapy patients in the upright position is not new as it has been used intermittently for photon, proton, and carbon ion radiotherapy for many years. Upright proton and carbon radiotherapy offer many cost advantages by eliminating the need for an expensive gantry but requiring only a multi-position sophisticated chair-based patient support system. In addition, there are medical and practical advantages to treatment in the upright position for conventional external beam photon radiotherapy. For example, has been shown that lung radiotherapy would be advantageous for three reasons: 1) the lung is more inflated in the upright position reducing lung density and lowering normal tissue integral dose, 2) the lung moves less in the upright position, and 3) patients who cannot control coughing are more comfortable and less likely to choke. Indeed, whenever possible conventional chest x-rays are performed upright for the same reasons. Despite the advantages, low dose lung cancer screening CT scans are done today in the recumbent position. Both upright radiotherapy and radiology require upright CT scanners. The capabilities, design, and evaluation of upright patient support and upright CT scanners will be discussed.