Feasibility study on effect and stability of adaptive radiotherapy on kilovoltage cone beam CT

Background

We have analyzed the stability of CT to density curve of kilovoltage cone-beam computerized tomography (kV CBCT) imaging modality over the period of six months. We also, investigated the viability of using image value to density table (IVDT) generated at different time, for adaptive radiotherapy treatment planning. The consequences of target volume change and the efficacy of kV CBCT for adaptive planning issues is investigated.

Materials and methods.

Standard electron density phantom was used to establish CT to electron density calibrations curve. The CT to density curve for the CBCT images were observed for the period of six months. The kV CBCT scans used for adaptive planning was acquired with an on-board imager system mounted on a “Trilogy” linear accelerator. kV CBCT images were acquired for daily setup registration. The effect of variations in CT to density curve was studied on two clinical cases: prostate and lung.

Results

The soft tissue contouring is superior in kV CBCT scans in comparison to mega voltage CT (MVCT) scans. The CT to density curve for the CBCT images was found steady over six months. Due to difficulty in attaining the reproducibility in daily setup for the prostate treatment, there is a day-to-day difference in dose to the rectum and bladder.

Conclusions

There is no need for generating a new CT to density curve for the adaptive planning on the kV CBCT images. Also, it is viable to perform the adaptive planning to check the dose to target and organ at risk (OAR) without performing a new kV CT scan, which will reduce the dose to the patient.     

Megavoltage cone-beam CT: Recent developments and clinical applications]

The Megavoltage cone-beam (MV CBCT) system consists of a new a-Si flat panel adapted for MV imaging and an integrated workflow application allowing the automatic acquisition of projection images, cone-beam CT image reconstruction, CT to CBCT image registration and couch position adjustment. This provides a 3D patient anatomy volume in the actual treatment position, relative to the treatment isocenter, moments before the dose delivery, that can be tightly aligned to the planning CT, allowing verification and correction of the patient position, detection of anatomical changes and dose calculation. In this paper, we present the main advantages and performance of this MV CBCT system and summarize the different clinical applications. Examples of the image-guided treatment process from the acquisition of the MV CBCT scan to the correction of the couch position and dose delivery will be presented for spinal and lung lesions and for head and neck, and prostate cancers.     

Reduction of radiation pneumonitis by V20-constraints in breast cancer

Background

To assess the accuracy of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) using a stereotactic mask fixation system.

Patients and Methods

Sixteen patients treated with FSRT were involved in the study. A commercial stereotactic mask fixation system (BrainLAB AG) was used for patient immobilization. Serial CT scans obtained before and during FSRT were used to assess the accuracy of patient immobilization by comparing the isocenter position. Daily portal imaging were acquired to establish day to day patient position variation. Displacement errors along the different directions were calculated as combination of systematic and random errors.

Results

The mean isocenter displacements based on localization and verification CT imaging were 0.1 mm (SD 0.3 mm) in the lateral direction, 0.1 mm (SD 0.4 mm) in the anteroposterior, and 0.3 mm (SD 0.4 mm) in craniocaudal direction. The mean 3D displacement was 0.5 mm (SD 0.4 mm), being maximum 1.4 mm. No significant differences were found during the treatment (P = 0.4). The overall isocenter displacement as calculated by 456 anterior and lateral portal images were 0.3 mm (SD 0.9 mm) in the mediolateral direction, -0.2 mm (SD 1 mm) in the anteroposterior direction, and 0.2 mm (SD 1.1 mm) in the craniocaudal direction. The largest displacement of 2.7 mm was seen in the cranio-caudal direction, with 95% of displacements < 2 mm in any direction.

Conclusions

The results indicate that the setup error of the presented mask system evaluated by CT verification scans and portal imaging are minimal. Reproducibility of the isocenter position is in the best range of positioning reproducibility reported for other stereotactic systems.     

Systematic intrafraction shifts of mediastinal lymph node targets between setup imaging and radiation treatment delivery in lung cancer patients

Background and purpose

Internal target motion results in geometrical uncertainties in lung cancer radiotherapy. In this study, we determined the intrafraction motion and baseline shifts of mediastinal lymph node (LN) targets between setup imaging and treatment delivery.

图像引导调强放疗头颈部肿瘤摆位误差对靶区外扩边界大小的影响

目的 利用锥形束CT (CBCT)图像分析跟踪头颈部恶性肿瘤调强放疗分次治疗间和分次治疗内肿瘤中心误差情况,并以此误差探讨临床靶体积(CTV)外放边界大小.方法 51例头颈部肿瘤经图像引导调强放疗,其中治疗前CBCT引导464次,治疗后CBCT 126次.根据CBCT图像与计划CT图像匹配实现在线和离线分析得到位移偏差.按不同在线校正次数(15次、11～15次、5～10次)和3个方向偏差依照双模型参数计算CTV外扩边界大小.结果 464次摆位未校正的左右、前后、上下方向偏差分别为0.37、-0.43、0.47 mm,CTV外扩边界分别为6.41、6.15、7.10 mm;校正后偏差分别为0.08、-0.03、0.03 mm,CTV外扩边界分别为1.78、1.80、1.97 mm.在线校正次数>15次,11～15次,5～10次者左右、前后、上下方向外扩分别为3.8、3.8、4.0 mm,4.0、4.0、5.0 mm,5.4、5.2、6.1 mm.结论 利用CBCT引导头颈部恶性肿瘤的调强放疗可确定确切的CTV外扩边界大小,保证肿瘤区域得到准确剂量和减小正常组织受量.

Abstract：

Objective To determine the planning target volume margins of head and neck cancers treated by image guided radiotherapy (IGRT).Methods 464 sets cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images before setup correction and 126 sets CBCT images after correction were obtained from 51 head and neck cancer patients treated by IGRT in our department.The systematic and random errors were evaluated by either online or offline correction through registering the CBCT images to the planning CT.The data was divided into 3 groups according to the online correction times.Results The isocenter shift were 0.37 mm±2.37 mm, -0.43 mm±2.30 mm and 0.47 mm±2.65 mm in right-left (RL), anterior-posterior (AP) and superior-inferior (SI) directions respectively before correction, and it reduced to 0.08 mm±0.68 mm, -0.03 mm±0.74 mm and 0.03 mm±0.80 mm when evaluated by 126 sets corrected CBCT images.The planning target volume (PTV) margin from clinical target volume (CTV) before correction were:6.41 mm,6.15 mm and 7.10 mm based on two parameter model, and it reduced to 1.78 mm,1.80 mm and 1.97 mm after correction.The PTV margins were 3.8 mm,3.8 mm,4.0 mm;4.0 mm,4.0 mm,5.0 mm and 5.4 mm,5.2 mm,6.1 mm in RL, AP and SI respectively when online-correction times were more than 15 times, 11-15 times,5-10 times.Conclusions CBCT-based on online correction reduce the PTV margin for head and neck cancers treated by IGRT and ensure more precise dose delivery and less normal tissue complications.     

Assessment of residual error for online cone-beam CT-guided treatment of prostate cancer patients

PURPOSE: Kilovoltage cone-beam CT (CBCT) implemented on board a medical accelerator is available for image-guidance applications in our clinic. The objective of this work was to assess the magnitude and stability of the residual setup error associated with CBCT online-guided prostate cancer patient setup. Residual error pertains to the uncertainty in image registration, the limited mechanical accuracy, and the intrafraction motion during imaging and treatment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The residual error for CBCT online-guided correction was first determined in a phantom study. After online correction, the phantom residual error was determined by comparing megavoltage portal images acquired every 90 degrees to the corresponding digitally reconstructed radiographs. In the clinical study, 8 prostate cancer patients were implanted with three radiopaque markers made of high-winding coils. After positioning the patient using the skin marks, a CBCT scan was acquired and the setup error determined by fusing the coils on the CBCT and planning CT scans. The patient setup was then corrected by moving the couch accordingly. A second CBCT scan was acquired immediately after the correction to evaluate the residual target setup error. Intrafraction motion was evaluated by tracking the coils and the bony landmarks on kilovoltage radiographs acquired every 30 s between the two CBCT scans. Corrections based on soft-tissue registration were evaluated offline by aligning the prostate contours defined on both planning CT and CBCT images. RESULTS: For ideal rigid phantoms, CBCT image-guided treatment can usually achieve setup accuracy of 1 mm or better. For the patients, after CBCT correction, the target setup error was reduced in almost all cases and was generally within +/-1.5 mm. The image guidance process took 23-35 min, dictated by the computer speed and network configuration. The contribution of the intrafraction motion to the residual setup error was small, with a standard deviation of +/-0.9 mm. The average difference between the setup corrections obtained with coil and soft-tissue registration was greatest in the superoinferior direction and was equal to -1.1 +/- 2.9 mm. CONCLUSION: On the basis of the residual setup error measurements, the margin required after online CBCT correction for the patients enrolled in this study would be approximatively 3 mm and is considered to be a lower limit owing to the small intrafraction motion observed. The discrepancy between setup corrections derived from registration using coils or soft tissue can be due in part to the lack of complete three-dimensional information with the coils or to the difficulty in prostate delineation and requires further study.     

利用锥形束CT图像分析非小细胞肺癌临床靶区外放的研究

目的 探讨非小细胞肺癌三维适形放射治疗临床靶区的外放范围。方法 8例非小细胞肺癌患者均采用三维适形放疗或调强放疗。分次放疗前、后患者在治疗床上进行锥形束CT扫描,并将锥形束CT图像与计划CT图像进行在线配准,根据配准得到的平移矢量调整治疗床的位置,从而修正摆位误差,并分别记录各个方向上平移矢量。结果 8例患者共计160组配准数据。如果放射治疗过程中未进行在线图像引导校正,在实际应用中临床靶区外放10.9 mm;如果每次放射治疗均进行在线图像引导校正,在实际应用中临床靶区外放2.2 mm。结论 非小细胞肺癌三维适形调强放疗时具有一定的摆位误差。基于锥形束CT图像分析的在线校正方法能减小该摆位误差,并有助于确定合适的临床靶区外放。     

4D-CBCT图像引导技术在食管癌精确放疗中的应用

目的 探讨利用四维锥形束CT（4D-CBCT）监测食管癌精确放疗中的摆位误差,为勾画食管癌合理的计划靶区（PTV）提供依据。方法 采用医科达Axesse直线加速器机载4D-CBCT对16例食管癌患者精确放疗前行扫描,系统自动重建图像并与治疗计划CT图像相匹配,获得患者在头脚（SI）、左右（LR）、前后（AP）方向上的摆位误差,经过自动校正后,再次行4D CBCT扫描,并按照同样的匹配方式与计划CT进行配准,采集校正后三维方向上的摆位误差。结果 16例患者共获166次扫描。校正前,4D-CBCT图像在SI、LR、AP方向的摆位误差分别为（5.6±0.4）mm、（3.4±0.5）mm和（2.2±0.2）mm,经过校正后在SI、LR、AP方向的摆位误差分别为（1.6±0.2）mm、（0.2±0.1）mm和（0.3±0.2）mm。摆位误差调整前在LR、SI、AP方向上临床靶区（CTV）到PTV外放边界分别为7.3mm、9.4mm和7.6mm,调整后分别为3.0mm、4.6mm和2.5mm。结论 利用4D-CBCT图像在治疗前进行误差校准,可以明显缩小摆位误差,更加准确地勾画食管癌PTV的范围,提高食管癌的放疗精度。     

Evaluation of inter-fraction prostate motion using kilovoltage cone beam computed tomography during radiotherapy

Aims

The success of delivering the prescribed radiation dose to the prostate while sparing adjacent sensitive tissues is largely dependent on the ability to accurately target the prostate during treatment. Kilovoltage cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging can be used to monitor and compensate for inter-fraction prostate motion, but this procedure increases treatment session time and adds incidental radiation dose to the patient. We carried out a retrospective study of CBCT data to evaluate the systematic and random correction shifts of the prostate with respect to bones and external marks.

Materials and methods

A total of 449 daily CBCT studies from 17 patients undergoing intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for localised prostate cancer were analysed. The difference between patient set-up correction shifts applied by radiation therapists (via matching prostate position in CBCT and planning computed tomography) and shifts obtained by matching bony anatomy in the same studies was used as a measure of the daily inter-fraction internal prostate motion.

Results

The average systematic and random shifts in prostate positions, calculated over all fractions versus only 10 fractions, were not found to be significantly different.

Discussion

The measured prostate shifts with respect to bony anatomy and external marks after the first 10 imaging sessions were shown to provide adequate predictive power for defining patient-specific margins in future fractions without a need for ongoing computed tomography imaging. Different options for CBCT imaging schedule are proposed that will reduce the treatment session time and imaging dose to radiotherapy patients while ensuring appropriate prostate cover and normal tissue sparing.     

Clinical use of dual image-guided localization system for spine radiosurgery

The recently released Novalis TX linac platform provides various image guided localization methods including a stereoscopic X-ray imaging technique (ExacTrac) and a volumetric cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging technique. The ExacTrac combined with the robotic six dimensional (6D) couch provides fast and accurate patient setup based on bony structures and offers "snap shot" imaging at any point during the treatment to detect patient motion. The CBCT offers a three dimensional (3D), volumetric image of the patient's setup with visualization of anatomic structures. However, each imaging system has a separate isocenter, which may not coincide with each other or with the linac isocenter. The aim of this paper was to compare the localization accuracy between Exactrac and CBCT for single fraction spine radiosurgery treatments. The study was performed for both phantom and patients (96 clinical treatments of 57 patients). The discrepancies between the isocenter between the ExacTrac and CBCT in four dimensions (three translations and one rotation) were recorded and statistically analyzed using two-tailed t-test.     

Systematic evaluation of three different commercial software solutions for automatic segmentation for adaptive therapy in head-and-neck, prostate and pleural cancer

Purpose

To validate, in the context of adaptive radiotherapy, three commercial software solutions for atlas-based segmentation.

Methods and materials

Fifteen patients, five for each group, with cancer of the Head&Neck, pleura, and prostate were enrolled in the study. In addition to the treatment planning CT (pCT) images, one replanning CT (rCT) image set was acquired for each patient during the RT course. Three experienced physicians outlined on the pCT and rCT all the volumes of interest (VOIs). We used three software solutions (VelocityAI 2.6.2 (V), MIM 5.1.1 (M) by MIMVista and ABAS 2.0 (A) by CMS-Elekta) to generate the automatic contouring on the repeated CT. All the VOIs obtained with automatic contouring (AC) were successively corrected manually. We recorded the time needed for: 1) ex novo ROIs definition on rCT; 2) generation of AC by the three software solutions; 3) manual correction of AC. To compare the quality of the volumes obtained automatically by the software and manually corrected with those drawn from scratch on rCT, we used the following indexes: overlap coefficient (DICE), sensitivity, inclusiveness index, difference in volume, and displacement differences on three axes (x, y, z) from the isocenter.

Results

The time saved by the three software solutions for all the sites, compared to the manual contouring from scratch, is statistically significant and similar for all the three software solutions. The time saved for each site are as follows: about an hour for Head&Neck, about 40?minutes for prostate, and about 20?minutes for mesothelioma. The best DICE similarity coefficient index was obtained with the manual correction for: A (contours for prostate), A and M (contours for H&N), and M (contours for mesothelioma).

Conclusions

From a clinical point of view, the automated contouring workflow was shown to be significantly shorter than the manual contouring process, even though manual correction of the VOIs is always needed.     

Image-guided radiotherapy via daily online cone-beam CT substantially reduces margin requirements for stereotactic lung radiotherapy

PURPOSE: To determine treatment accuracy and margins for stereotactic lung radiotherapy with and without cone-beam CT (CBCT) image guidance. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Acquired for the study were 308 CBCT of 24 patients with solitary peripheral lung tumors treated with stereotactic radiotherapy. Patients were immobilized in a stereotactic body frame (SBF) or alpha-cradle and treated with image guidance using daily CBCT. Four (T1) or five (T2/metastatic) 12-Gy fractions were prescribed to the planning target volume (PTV) edge. The PTV margin was >or=5 mm depending on a pretreatment estimate of tumor excursion. Initial daily setup was according to SBF coordinates or tattoos for alpha-cradle cases. A CBCT was performed and registered to the planning CT using soft tissue registration of the target. The initial setup error/precorrection position, was recorded for the superior-inferior, anterior-posterior, and medial-lateral directions. The couch was adjusted to correct the tumor positional error. A second CBCT verified tumor position after correction. Patients were treated in the corrected position after the residual errors were 相似文献   

Whole-body dose and energy measurements in radiotherapy by a combination of LiF:Mg,Cu,P and LiF:Mg,Ti

Purpose

Long-term survivors of cancer who were treated with radiotherapy are at risk of a radiation-induced tumor. Hence, it is important to model the out-of-field dose resulting from a cancer treatment. These models have to be verified with measurements, due to the small size, the high sensitivity to ionizing radiation and the tissue-equivalent composition, LiF thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD) are well-suited for out-of-field dose measurements. However, the photon energy variation of the stray dose leads to systematic dose errors caused by the variation in response with radiation energy of the TLDs. We present a dosimeter which automatically corrects for the energy variation of the measured photons by combining LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD100) and LiF:Mg,Cu,P (TLD100H) chips.

图像引导鼻咽癌调强放疗技术和质量保征

目的：探讨图像引导鼻咽癌调强放射治疗技术和质量保证（QA）方法。方法：利用千伏锥形束CT（KVCBCT）引导15例初治鼻咽癌患者调强放射治疗,将KVCBCT得到的位置差异,推导得到靶区勾画CTV—PTV的边界;以CT模体检验CBCT图像质量和等中心偏差;以矩阵电离室对调强计划进行剂量验证。结果：对15例鼻咽癌280次CBCT扫描中,3个方向偏差,X方向：0．55±1．03mm,Y方向：0．72±2．25mm,Z方向：0．42±1．14mm,3个方向小于2mm的偏差比例分别为86．3％、76．7％、83．8％;大于3mm偏差分别为5．9％、9．4％、6．3％。对KV—MV等中心验证,三个方向融合差值分别为0．2±0．3mm、0．4±0．3mm、-0．2±0．5mm;用矩阵电离室验证调强计划相对剂量,对于单野,Gamma值为93．2％-97．2％,对于整个计划Gamma值为95．0％-97．7％。绝对剂量验证主要是对等中心点、剂量均匀区、高剂量区、较低剂量区、高梯度区选择5个点进行检测,百分偏差范围为-3．7％-4％。结论：图像引导鼻咽癌调强放疗,可以减少摆位引起的摆位误差,并且通过在线的修正可以提高靶区剂量的准确,也可减少CTV—PTV的边界,从而减少正常器官的剂量。保证图像引导部分的成像质量和机械精度是图像引导放疗的关键;而计划剂量的验证是所有治疗的基础。     

Enhancement of image quality with a fast iterative scatter and beam hardening correction method for kV CBCT

The problem of the enormous amount of scattered radiation in kV CBCT (kilo voltage cone beam computer tomography) is addressed. Scatter causes undesirable streak- and cup-artifacts and results in a quantitative inaccuracy of reconstructed CT numbers, so that an accurate dose calculation might be impossible. Image contrast is also significantly reduced. Therefore we checked whether an appropriate implementation of the fast iterative scatter correction algorithm we have developed for MV (mega voltage) CBCT reduces the scatter contribution in a kV CBCT as well. This scatter correction method is based on a superposition of pre-calculated Monte Carlo generated pencil beam scatter kernels. The algorithm requires only a system calibration by measuring homogeneous slab phantoms with known water-equivalent thicknesses. In this study we compare scatter corrected CBCT images of several phantoms to the fan beam CT images acquired with a reduced cone angle (a slice-thickness of 14 mm in the isocenter) at the same system. Additional measurements at a different CBCT system were made (different energy spectrum and phantom-to-detector distance) and a first order approach of a fast beam hardening correction will be introduced.The observed image quality of the scatter corrected CBCT images is comparable concerning resolution, noise and contrast-to-noise ratio to the images acquired in fan beam geometry. Compared to the CBCT without any corrections the contrast of the contrast-and-resolution phantom with scatter correction and additional beam hardening correction is improved by a factor of about 1.5. The reconstructed attenuation coefficients and the CT numbers of the scatter corrected CBCT images are close to the values of the images acquired in fan beam geometry for the most pronounced tissue types. Only for extreme dense tissue types like cortical bone we see a difference in CT numbers of 5.2%, which can be improved to 4.4% with the additional beam hardening correction. Cupping is reduced from 20% to 4% with scatter correction and 3% with an additional beam hardening correction. After 3 iterations (small phantoms) and 6 to 7 iterations (large phantoms) the algorithm converges. Therefore the algorithm is very fast, that means 1.3 seconds per projection for 3 iterations on a standard PC.     

锥形束断层CT对肺部肿瘤放射治疗摆位误差修正及其阈值的确定*

目的:采用锥形束CT（cone beam computed tomography ,CBCT）检测并修正肿瘤放射治疗摆位误差可以有效减少放射治疗边界,而CBCT图像引导治疗误差的修正范围受许多不确定因素影响,本研究目的是确定锥形束CT影像技术对肺部肿瘤放射治疗摆位误差修正阈值。方法:对30例肺部肿瘤放疗患者在每次照射前获取CBCT,通过系统的匹配功能,将获取的CBCT图像和计划CT图像匹配,获得左右（X）、头脚（Y）、前后（Z）三个方向的摆位误差。若任何方向误差>2mm,相应移动治疗床修正误差后再次获取CBCT图像,设定1mm、2mm、3mm和5mm调准阈值并分析相应调整后的残余摆位误差及其规律。结果:30例患者共进行CBCT扫描860 次。每次治疗开始前首次摆位CBCT 584 次,调整治疗床后再次CBCT扫描276 次,调整误差前胸部摆位误差在Y 轴最大,其误差≤1mm、2mm、3mm和5mm的百分率分别为15.0% 、26.0% 、48.7% 和63.7% ,调整后残余误差≤1、2、3、5mm的百分率分别为78.4% 、95.2% 、98.3% 和99.6% ;初次摆位最大系统误差和随机误差分别为4.2mm和5.0mm,其外放边界（Msetup）为6.9～13.8mm,根据1、2、3、5mm阈值调整获得的残余误差值分别为≤1.0mm、≤1.0mm、≤1.2mm和≤2.2mm,与之相对应的外放边界分别为≤2.2mm、≤2.2mm、≤3.1mm和≤4.4mm。结论:CBCT有助于检测和修正分次间摆位误差,采用2mm和3mm作为胸部肿瘤CBCT摆位误差的修正阈值是可行的。      

Dosimetric effect of translational and rotational errors for patients undergoing image-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy for spinal metastases

PURPOSE: To investigate the dosimetric effects of translational and rotational patient positioning errors on the treatment of spinal and paraspinal metastases using computed tomography image-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy. The results of this study provide guidance for the treatment planning process and recognition of the dosimetric consequences of daily patient treatment setup errors. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The data from 20 patients treated for metastatic spinal cancer using image-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy were investigated in this study. To simulate the dosimetric effects of residual setup uncertainties, 36 additional plans (total, 756 plans) were generated for each isocenter (total, 21 isocenters) on the planning computed tomography images, which included isocenter lateral, anteroposterior, superoinferior shifts, and patient roll, yaw, and pitch rotations. Tumor volume coverage and the maximal dose to the organs at risk were compared with those of the original plan. Six daily treatments were also investigated to determine the dosimetric effect with or without the translational and rotational corrections. RESULTS: A 2-mm error in translational patient positioning error in any direction can result in >5% tumor coverage loss and >25% maximal dose increase to the organs at risk. Rotational correction is very important for patients with multiple targets and for the setup of paraspinal patients when the isocenter is away from bony structures. Compared with the original plans, the daily treatment data indicated that translational adjustments could correct most of the setup errors to mean divergences of -1.4% for tumor volume coverage and -0.3% for the maximal dose to the organs at risk. CONCLUSION: For the best dosimetric results, spinal stereotactic treatments should have setup translational errors of < or =1 mm and rotational errors of < or =2 degrees .     

Image-Guided Radiation Therapy for Muscle-Invasive Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder with Cone Beam CT Scan: Use of Individualized Internal Target Volumes for a Single Patient

Introduction

While planning radiation therapy (RT) for a carcinoma of the urinary bladder (CaUB), the intra-fractional variation of the urinary bladder (UB) volume due to filling-up needs to be accounted for. This internal target volume (ITV) is obtained by adding internal margins (IM) to the contoured bladder. This study was planned to propose a method of acquiring individualized ITVs for each patient and to verify their reproducibility.

Methods

One patient with CaUB underwent simulation with the proposed ‘bladder protocol’. After immobilization, a planning CT scan on empty bladder was done. He was then given 300 ml of water to drink and the time (T) was noted. Planning CT scans were performed after 20 min (T+20), 30 min (T+30) and 40 min (T+40). The CT scan at T+20 was co-registered with the T+30 and T+40 scans. The bladder volumes at 20, 30 and 40 min were then contoured as CTV20, CTV30 and CTV40 to obtain an individualized ITV for our patient. For daily treatment, he was instructed to drink water as above, and the time was noted; treatment was started after 20 min. Daily pre- and post-treatment cone beam CT (CBCT) scans were done. The bladder visualized on the pre-treatment CBCT scan was compared with CTV20 and on the post-treatment CBCT scan with CTV30.

Results

In total, there were 65 CBCT scans (36 pre- and 29 post-treatment). Individualized ITVs were found to be reproducible in 93.85% of all instances and fell outside in 4 instances.

Conclusions

The proposed bladder protocol can yield a reproducible estimation of the ITV during treatment; this can obviate the need for taking standard IMs.Key words: Radiation therapy, Carcinoma of the urinary bladder, Urinary bladder volume, Individualized internal target volume     

Reliability of the bony anatomy in image-guided stereotactic radiotherapy of brain metastases

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the position of brain metastases remains stable between planning and treatment in cranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eighteen patients with 20 brain metastases were treated with single-fraction (17 lesions) or hypofractionated (3 lesions) image-guided SRT. Median time interval between planning and treatment was 8 days. Before treatment a cone-beam CT (CBCT) and a conventional CT after application of i.v. contrast were acquired. Setup errors using automatic bone registration (CBCT) and manual soft-tissue registration of the brain metastases (conventional CT) were compared. RESULTS: Tumor size was not significantly different between planning and treatment. The three-dimensional setup error (mean +/- SD) was 4.0 +/- 2.1 mm and 3.5 +/- 2.2 mm according to the bony anatomy and the lesion itself, respectively. A highly significant correlation between automatic bone match and soft-tissue registration was seen in all three directions (r >/= 0.88). The three-dimensional distance between the isocenter according to bone match and soft-tissue registration was 1.7 +/- 0.7 mm, maximum 2.8 mm. Treatment of intracranial pressure with steroids did not influence the position of the lesion relative to the bony anatomy. CONCLUSION: With a time interval of approximately 1 week between planning and treatment, the bony anatomy of the skull proved to be an excellent surrogate for the target position in image-guided SRT.