Simplification of breast deformation modelling to support breast cancer treatment planning

The exact delineation of tumour boundaries is of utmost importance in the planning of cancer therapy, either surgery or pre- or post-operative radiation treatment. In the case of breast cancer one of the most advanced modalities is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Although MRI scans provide wealth of information about the structure of a tumour and the surrounding tissues, the data obtained represent the patient in a prone position, with breast, in a coil while surgery is performed in a supine position, on lying breast. There is no doubt that a patient's breast in both positions has a different shape and that this influences the intra-breast relations. Our present preliminary study introduces a simple breast model developed from prone images. The model should be built rapidly and by a simple procedure, based only on essential structures, and the goal is to prove its usefulness in treatment planning.