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Blake Cannon - PhD Research

Blake Cannon
bcannon@mdanderson.org

BS, 2003, Physics, University of Georgia
MS, 2006, Medical Physics, University of Texas HSC-Houston 


Project: Image-Guided Radiotherapy and Functional Imaging 

Imaging functional response, i.e. metabolic change, to radiation therapy is advantageous because it will often precede visible anatomic change.  18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) continues to be extensively investigated as a tool to image and quantify functional response.  However, comparing tissue tracer uptake in longitudinal studies is often compounded by variations in patient setup and potential treatment induced gross anatomic change.  These variations make true response monitoring for the same anatomic volume a challenge, not only for malignant tumors, but also for normal organs-at-risk (OAR).  My research focuses on utilizing deformable image registration to overcome these limitations.  By mapping primary tumor volumes to serial 18F-FDG PET/CT scans, we hope to improve region-based quantitative tumor response analysis.  Additionally, we are evaluating the potential to determine normal OAR toxicity in head and neck cancer patients using deformably aligned serial functional images.  The ability to quantitatively determine treatment response holds great clinical relevance for future refinement of radiation therapy treatment designs.

Advisor: Lei Dong, PhD 
Career Goal:  Academic Medical Physics

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