When using radiotherapy to treat cancer, there is unavoidable damage to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor. Proton Therapy (PT) is a new type of radiotherapy, holding the promise of better preserving healthy tissues surrounding the tumor, due to the finite range of high energy protons. This can substantially reduce severe treatment side effects, and could potentially allow delivering higher doses to tumors to enhance cure rates. However, this advantage also comes at the cost of increased sensitivity to uncertainties in patient alignment and changes in patient anatomy, e.g. caused by day-to-day variations in bladder filling or tumor shrinkage. This is particularly relevant for patients with cervical cancer, for whom the region that requires treatment shows large day-to-day differences in anatomy.

To provide a solution, the PROTECT project aims to develop and clinically implement adaptive strategies tailored specifically to the treatment of cervical cancer patients using proton therapy. The proton plan will focus on reducing the dose to the patient's organs at risk (bowel, bladder, etc.), in an effort of limiting the treatment burden. The envisioned strategy will build upon existing expertise from the Erasmus MC physics group, and consists of a plan of the day approach coupled with on-line plan adaption using spot recovery and spot re-optimization techniques, which has been conceptualized by the group in 2019. This will enable PT treatments to be adjusted to the exact anatomy of the patient on each day, thus making use of the full tissue sparing potential offered by PT. This is a collaborative project between LUMC, Erasmus MC and HollandPTC, in which 2 PhD researchers will work closely together with the 3 institutes and their staff. The selected candidate will work in a multi-disciplinary team of physicists, medical physicists, and radiation oncologists.

Moreover, this project will support the clinical implementation of the developed strategies in a prospective clinical trial at HollandPTC. The research should facilitate the application of these procedures in clinical practice, and the new PhD researchers will play an active role in this implementation. Results will be presented during national and international conferences, and published in international journals.

You are a highly motivated candidate with a master degree in (Applied) Physics, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related discipline. Excellent technical skills as well as academic writing and presentation skills in English are required. You are enthusiastic about solving problems by programming (Matlab, Python, and C/C++), and interested in modelling. As you will be part of a multi-disciplinary team, good communication skills are essential. You are ambitious, result-driven and an excellent team player. Being able to present a certificate of good conduct is a condition for the appointment.

You will receive a temporary position for 4 years. The gross monthly salary amounts € 2.4.22,- in the 1st year till € 3.103,- in the 4th year (scale OIO) based on a full-time working week of 36 hours. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement for University Medical Centers (CAO UMC).

Erasmus MC

Erasmus MC Cancer Institute encompasses one of the largest radiation oncology departments in Europe treating over 5500 patients per year. The department has a wide-ranged and internationally renowned research program, varying from fundamental and translational radiobiology, to biological image-guided, interventional and adaptive radiotherapy, and to clinical trials. In 2018, the department moved to a new ultramodern building at the central location of Erasmus MC. All research is focused on improving clinical practice and has led to world-first implementations of e.g. fully automated treatment planning for the majority of curative patients and plan-of-the-day treatment strategies to reduce side effects. As a PhD student you will have access to the courses of the Erasmus MC postgraduate school of Molecular Medicine and to the PhD educational program on medical physics, and you will participate in the departmental journal clubs and R&D meetings. The department collaborates closely with HollandPTC, aiming to provide beyond state-of-the-art proton therapy.