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Jean-Philippe Pignol

Professor and Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University

Clinical sites
Breast and GU cancers

Education
MD - Radiation Oncologist, Université Louis-Pasteur, Strasbourg, France
PhD - Nuclear Physics, Université Louis-Pasteur, Strasbourg, France

Research Focuses
(1) The development of clinical trials to evaluate the benefit of technical innovation, more specifically with regard to the reduction of treatment side effect and improvement in the quality of life. Nine clinical trials were initiated primarily on early stage breast cancer:
- The Canadian breast IMRT randomized trial funded by CIHR with results were presented as top plenary presentation (Abstract #1) in November 2006 at the ASTRO Annual Meeting and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2008. A follow-up study also funded by CIHR evaluated the long-term benefit of breast IMRT and was published in 2016.
- A first permanent breast seed implant brachytherapy was performed in 2004, and 3 consecutive studies were initiated. The long-term results on the technique were published in 2015.

(2) Research in medical physics focuses on the development of new techniques of radiation oncology.
- The action mechanism description at the nanometric scale of nanoparticles radiosensitization using modified Monte Carlo simulation and experimental assays. Also several targeted or multifunctional nanoparticles are in development in close collaboration with the UofT Faculty of Pharmacy and the TU Delft in The Netherlands.
- The development of breast seed implant brachytherapy technique, including the design of a new template, treatment planning including tissue heterogeneity correction and the clinical evaluation of novel strategies including the use of spacers. The research has led to two FDA approved commercial products.

Academic interests
Academic interest include the teaching in Physics on the interaction of radiation with matter, and in Oncology on breast cancer management with radiotherapy. Trainees includes post-graduate at the residency, fellowship, master and PhD levels. It also include a global vision with close collaboration with several emerging countries centers.

Recent publications
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=pignol+j

Experience

  • –present
    Professor and Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University