OncoTREAT: a software assistant for cancer therapy monitoring

Object Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and therapy options are often associated with severe stress for the patient and high costs. Therefore, precise evaluation of therapy success is essential. Material and methods In the framework of the VICORA research project (Virtual Institute for Computer Assistance in Clinical Radiology), a software application was developed to support the radiologist in evaluating the response to tumor therapy. The application provides follow-up support for oncological therapy monitoring by volumetric quantification of lung, liver and brain metastases as well as enlarged lymph nodes and assists the user by temporal registration of lesion positions. Results With close cooperation between computer scientists and radiologists the application was tested and optimized to achieve a high degree of usability. Several clinical studies were carried out to evaluate the robustness and reproducibility of the volumetry methods. Conclusion Automatic volumetry and segmentation allows reliable detection of tumor growth and has the potential to increase reliability and significance of monitoring tumor growth in follow-up examinations.