Zeljko Vujaskovic, MD, PhD, Professor and Head of the Division of Translational Radiation Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Radiation Oncology, delivered a distinguished lecture titled “The Concurrent Pencil Beam Scanning Proton Therapy and Hyperthermia: Initial Clinical Experience,” Dr. Vujaskovic discussed the current clinical attempt to combine proton therapy and hyperthermia at the University of Maryland Proton Treatment Center. Proton therapy itself has been known to reduce toxicity and normal tissue dose in some cases of cancer, while hyperthermia has been clinically shown to have better tumor control. Combining the two treatments can potentially reduce the morbidity of the treatment and improve radiobiologic impact on tumor tissue. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of further clinical trials and multi-institutional collaborations to improve this treatment. The lecture was then immediately followed by reception and townhall discussion in Hock Plaza Medial Physics classroom, where students were able to ask follow-up questions regarding pencil beam scanning proton therapy, hyperthermia, and other career-related questions.
The next distinguished lecture will be delivered by Udo Hoffman, MD, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Cardiac Imaging at the Massachusetts General Hospital on January 18, 2018.
