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Bi-Level Optimization to Enhance Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Planning
Volume 36, Issue 1 (2025), pp. 99–124
Pub. online: 18 September 2024      Type: Research Article      Open accessOpen Access
Received
1 November 2023
Accepted
1 June 2024
Published
18 September 2024

Abstract

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy is an effective cancer treatment. Models based on the Generalized Equivalent Uniform Dose (gEUD) provide radiation plans with excellent planning target volume coverage and low radiation for organs at risk. However, manual adjustment of the parameters involved in gEUD is required to ensure that the plans meet patient-specific physical restrictions. This paper proposes a radiotherapy planning methodology based on bi-level optimization. We evaluated the proposed scheme in a real patient and compared the resulting irradiation plans with those prepared by clinical planners in hospital devices. The results in terms of efficiency and effectiveness are promising.

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Biographies

Moreno Juan José
juanjomoreno@ual.es

J.J. Moreno is a doctoral researcher in the Department of Informatics at the University of Almería (UAL), Spain. He obtained his BSc and MSc in computer science from UAL in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Since 2017, he has been actively engaged in research as a member of the Supercomputing–Algorithms research group at UAL. His areas of research expertise encompass High-Performance Computing (HPC), radiotherapy optimization, and electron tomography image processing.

Puertas-Martín Savíns
savinspm@ual.es

S. Puertas-Martín is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Informatics of the University of Almería, Spain. He obtained his PhD in computer science at the University of Almería in 2020. He is a member of the Supercomputing–Algorithms Research Group at the University of Almeria in Spain and the Chemoinformatics Research Group at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. His research interests are drug discovery, global optimization and high-performance computing.

Redondo Juana L.
jlredondo@ual.es

J.L. Redondo holds the position of full professor at the Department of Informatics at the University of Almería, Spain. She earned her PhD in computer science from the same university and is an esteemed member of the Supercomputing-Algorithms Research Group. Her research focuses on High-Performance Computing, global optimization, and their diverse applications.

Ortigosa Pilar M.
ortigosa@ual.es

P.M. Ortigosa is a full professor of architecture and computer technology of the University of Almería, Spain. She received MSc degrees in physics and electronic engineering from the University of Granada in 1994 and 1996, respectively, and a PhD in computer science from the University of Málaga in 1999. She is a member of the Supercomputing-Algorithms Research Group of the University of Almería. Her research focuses on high-performance computing, metaheuristic global optimization, computational intelligence, deep learning, and the application to several real problems. Recently she has been working on the Internet of Things.

Zawadzka Anna
anna.zawadzka.fizyk@nio.gov.pl

A. Zawadzka, a distinguished medical physicist, currently serves in the Medical Physics Department at the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology. In addition to her role, she holds the position of head of the Treatment Planning Laboratory within the same institution. Her academic journey led to the successful completion of a PhD in medical physics from the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology in 2018. A. Zawadzka is actively engaged as a lecturer at Warsaw University and contributes as a regional consultant in the field of medical physics. Her scientific pursuits are concentrated on treatment planning, dosimetry, and the quality control of radiotherapy treatments.

Kukołowicz Pawel
Pawel.Kukolowicz@nio.gov.pl

P. Kukołowicz serves as a medical physicist at the Medical Physics Department of the Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, an institution with a rich history dating back to 1934. As a prominent figure, he holds the position of the head of this esteemed institution. Notably, he has been the president of the Polish Society of Medical Physics from 2011 to 2014 and then again from 2014 to 2018. Since 2018, he is a consultant in medical physics for the Ministry of Health. P. Kukolowicz is also recognized for his role as an advisor to 14 PhD candidates in the field of medical physics. His scientific pursuits primarily revolve around treatment planning, dosimetry, and the quality control of radiotherapy treatments.

Szmurło Robert
robert.szmurlo@pw.edu.pl

R. Szmurło holds the position of an assistant professor at the Warsaw University of Technology, Poland. He has actively contributed to over 10 research projects, funded by entities such as the Polish Ministry of Science, commercial enterprises, and European Union grants, all related to computer simulation methods. The subjects of the projects were related to modelling applications of electromagnetic fields in medical treatment, modelling electric impulse power supply systems, artificial intelligence in medicine for Radiotherapy planning, methods of modelling information systems, among others.

Kaliszewski Ignacy
ignacy.kaliszewski@ibspan.waw.pl

I. Kaliszewski is a full professor in the Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences and in Warsaw School of Information Technology. His scientific interests are optimization, multiple criteria decision making, computer-aided decision making, and also identification, quantification, and management of risk in business organizations.

Miroforidis Janusz
janusz.miroforidis@ibspan.waw.pl

J. Miroforidis is an associate professor at the Systems Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland. He obtained his PhD in computer science from the same institution in 2010. His scientific interests are multi-objective optimization, multiple criteria decision making, and computer-aided decision making.

Garzón Ester M.
gmartin@ual.es

E.M. Garzón is a full professor at the Department of Informatics of the University of Almería, Spain. She obtained her PhD in computer science from the University of Almería in 2000. She is the head of the Supercomputing-Algorithms Research Group at the same institution. Her research activity is centred on high-performance computing (HPC) addressed to extend applications of scientific computation. Her works have been related to different fields and disciplines.


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© 2025 Vilnius University
Open access article under the CC BY license.

Keywords
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Genetic Algorithms Generalized Equivalent Uniform Dose (gEUD) Multi-Objective Optimization Bi-Level Optimization

Funding
This work has been supported by Grant PID2021-123278OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”; and by projects PDC2022-133370-I00 and TED2021-132020B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/5011 00011033 and by European Union Next GenerationEU/PRTR. Savíns Puertas Martín is a fellow of the “Margarita Salas” grant (RR_A_2021_21), financed by the European Union (NextGenerationEU).

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