MABIO4900 Radiobiology and Treatment Planning in Radiotherapy Course description

The course focuses on radiobiology and radiation effects on tumours/normal tissue as the basis for treatment planning in radiotherapy. The course includes dose planning and assessment of dose distribution as well as fixation, simulation, and quality assurance of the planned radiotherapy.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence

Knowledge

The student has

• in-depth knowledge of structural and molecular variation, such as sequence, length, and copy number variation, and mechanisms leading to genetic variation
• advanced knowledge of genetic variation that can lead to disease
• in-depth knowledge of screening methods that are used in medical genetics and high-throughput methods used for molecular genetic research
• advanced knowledge of the principles behind methods and their areas of application
• specialised insight into the areas of application for selected bioinformatics tools for DNA and RNA analyses.

Skills

The student is capable of

• carrying out independent basic analyses using the PCR technique, DNA sequencing, fragment analysis and qPCR
• independently assessing the suitability of methods and using this in the development of diagnostic methods
• understanding and interpreting quantitative qPCR results in an independent manner
• using basic bioinformatics tools in the development of methods and analysis of NGS data

Competence

The student is capable of

• familiarising him/herself with and taking a critical approach to new methods and apparatuses used in biomedicine (including NGS platforms), with a view to their areas of application, possibilities, and limitations

The student must have been admitted to the study programme. The course is also offered as an individual course.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student

• has in-depth knowledge of radiobiological effects at molecular and cell level
• has advanced knowledge of the effect of ionising radiation on normal tissue and tumour tissue
• has in-depth knowledge of the biological aspects and radiobiology models that form the basis for the planning and delivery of radiotherapy
• has in-depth knowledge of the definition of margins, target volumes and high-risk organs
• has in-depth knowledge of treatment principles and techniques in radiotherapy
• has in-depth knowledge of criteria and tools for assessing dose distribution
• has in-depth knowledge of recommendations and guidelines for treatment planning
• has broad knowledge of quality control, procedures and documentation of planning and treatment

Skills

The student

• is capable of using knowledge of topographic anatomy and different image modalities in treatment planning and quality assurance
• is capable of justifying the choice of fixation method, patient position and treatment technique
• is capable of analysing and critically assessing volumes and margins in radiotherapy
• has practical skills in treatment planning and radiotherapy
• is capable of analysing and critically assessing different choices and considerations made during the planning phase to assess the treatment plan based on given assessment criteria
• is capable of assessing the biological effects of radiotherapy on tumours, high-risk organs and normal tissue, and of justifying the choice of fractionation pattern

Competence

The student

• is capable of discussing and analysing problems related to radiobiology and treatment planning in radiotherapy
• is capable of integrating knowledge of and skills in natural science and oncology in issues relating to treatment plans and planning
• is capable of justifying choices and assessments made in connection with the quality assurance of radiotherapy
• has insight into and is capable of identifying ethical issues in connection with treatment planning in radiotherapy

The work and teaching methods used are lectures, self-study, workshops, group and project work, as well as skills training under supervision.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• minimum 80 per cent attendance in skills training, workshops and scheduled group and project work

Exam content: The learning outcomes

Exam form: Combined exam consisting of two parts:

1. Individual project assignment, 3,000 words (+/- 20%).

2. Supervised individual written exam, 3 hours

One overall grade is awarded. The two exam parts count equally towards the grade. Both parts must be passed (A-E) in order to pass the exam. If the written exam is awarded an F, it must be retaken. If the project assignment is awarded an F, the student is given one more chance to submit a reworked version for the exam.

Part 1: All aids are permitted.

Part 2: Calculator

The course discusses theoretical and practical aspects of modern DNS technology applied to detect genetic variation in the human genome (DNS), including NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) methods. It focuses on normal variation and variation in connection to predisposition for diseases. The laboratory part comprises a practical introduction to PCR method, DNA sequence analysis, DNA fragment analysis, and quantitative PCR (qPCR, analysis of gene expression). The practical part includes exercises with basic bio informatics tools for the analysis of DNA, RNA, and amino acids sequence data. The bioinformatics part also provides an introduction to the analysis of NGS data, including with the aid of RStudio.

The student must have been admitted to the study programme. The course is also offered as an individual course.

15 stp. faglig overlapp med emnet STRÅL6110 Strålebiologi og behandlingsplanlegging i stråleterapi.