On the advancement and software support of decision-making in focused ultrasound therapy

Focused ultrasound therapy (FUS) is a modern and promising way for minimally invasive cancer treatment. Recent advances in treatment technology, bio-physical models, and numerical simulation methods have given rise to a significant curative potential. However, clinical routine of FUS still features classical planning approaches, which widely fail in exploiting this potential. The structure of FUS planning problems strongly suggests interactive multi-criteria decision-making concepts in order to improve treatment quality. This research work introduces an multi-criteria decision-making approach to FUS planning and explains how to bridge the conceptual gap between the clinical state of the art and this new planning paradigm.