DIBH技术对纵隔淋巴瘤累及部位放疗靶区与OAR受量影响

目的 探讨深吸气屏气(DIBH)技术对纵隔淋巴瘤放疗靶区和正常组织受量影响。方法 前瞻性采集连续收治的5例Ⅰ、Ⅱ期纵隔淋巴瘤病例。采用受累部位照射和蝴蝶野设野原则,对比DIBH和自由呼吸(FB)扫描时靶区绝对体积变化、重要OAR绝对剂量体积和相对剂量-体积差别。配对t检验差异。结果 5例中位年龄30岁。与FB相比DIBH时靶区绝对体积化疗前GTV缩减29.4 cm³(P=0.006),PTV缩减322 cm³(P=0.005);肺绝对体积平均增大1456 cm³(P=0.001),心脏宽度缩小1.3 cm (P=0.012)。DIBH时心脏和肺D_mean显著降低(心脏为8.5 Gy∶11.6 Gy,P=0.022;肺为7.6 Gy∶11.6 Gy,P=0.000)。比较受一定水平照射的绝对体积时,心脏在高剂量水平V₁₅及以上显著降低(P均<0.05)。DIBH时肺和心脏相对百分比在所有剂量水平(V₅—V₃₅)均显著小于FB (P均<0.05)。结论 纵隔淋巴瘤放疗,DIBH技术能显著缩小PTV,增加肺体积,且显著降低心肺D_mean和V₅—V₃₅水平的相对剂量-体积参数。     

Dosimetric comparison of stereotactic body radiotherapy in different respiration conditions: a modeling study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the dosimetric consequences for irradiated lung tissue for different respiration conditions for hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirteen patients with lung lesion undergoing SBRT treatment in shallow breathing with abdominal compression (SB+AP) underwent additional multislice CT studies in free breathing (FB), deep inspiration and expiration breath hold (DIBH, DEBH). For each patient 6 different treatment plans were designed for the various respiration conditions applying standard (7/7/10 mm), reduced (5/5/5 mm) and individual margins. The FB plan with standard margins was used as a reference. The percentage of volume of the ipsilateral lung receiving total doses > or=12, 15> or= and > or=18 Gy, mean lung dose (D(mean)), NTCP corrected for fractionation effects and the total monitor units (MU) were evaluated. RESULTS: With DIBH it was possible to reduce all lung dose parameters by about 20%. Applying reduced margins in DIBH, this reduction was even increased to about 40%. The standard technique (SB+AP) with individual margins showed similar results as DIBH with standard margins. DEBH showed some improvement over FB only when reduced margins were applied. Only for 5/13 patients NTCP values >1% were obtained. For these patients a significant NTCP reduction was achieved with DIBH techniques. CONCLUSIONS: In SBRT shallow breathing with abdominal compression produces acceptable results concerning lung DVHs. DIBH, especially with reduced margins, showed the best lung sparing. For the clinical implementation of such a technique some form of gating is advisable. However, there are some practical limitations due to high fractional doses.     

Validation of active breathing control in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer to be treated with CHARTWEL

PURPOSE: Active breathing control (ABC) was validated using patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to be treated with continuous hyperfractionated accelerated radiotherapy weekend-less (CHARTWEL). Effects of breath hold (BH) on accuracy and normal tissue doses were evaluated. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Eleven patients were studied. Immediately after a free breathing (FB) planning scan, two ABC scans (ABC 1 and 2) were performed to assess intrafraction variation. A third ABC scan (ABC 3) was performed some weeks later to assess interfraction variation. Assisted BH was set at 75% of vital capacity and reproducibility assessed using computed tomography (CT) lung volumes. Planning target volumes (PTVs), doses to lung and spinal cord for FB and ABC 1 scans were compared. RESULTS: Results were available for 10 patients. Disease and elective nodal regions were easier to define on ABC scans making PTVs smaller. ABC lung volumes showed no significant variation over several weeks, percentage volume of whole lung receiving > or =20 Gy (V(20)) was reduced in all (median 6.4%, p = 0.005), and spinal cord dose in 80% (median 1.03 Gy, p = 0.02), of the plans. CONCLUSION: ABC allowed reproducible BH, and enabled better delineation of tumor and normal structures, as well as reduction in PTV, V(20), and spinal cord dose.     

基于四维CT自由呼吸下全乳调强放疗靶区与危及器官剂量学研究

目的 探讨基于4DCT的自由呼吸状态下全乳正向调强放疗(IMRT)临床靶体积(CTV)位移及体积变化与计划靶体积(PTV)及危及器官(OAR)剂量学变化的相关性。方法 选择行保乳术后接受4DCT模拟定位患者 17例,以T₀为参考时相制定全乳正向IMRT计划,并将T₀时相的IMRT计划复制到其余9个时相上。观察呼吸周期中呼吸运动导致的PTV与OAR剂量学变化。结果 自由呼吸状态下全乳CTV位移矢量为(2.09±0.74) mm,变化率为(3.05±0.94)%。CTV变化与PTV及OAR剂量学变化无关(r=－0.390~0.480,P=0.182~0.775);CTV在前后、头脚及矢量方向与PTV平均受量、适形指数、肺脏高剂量受照体积均相关(r=－0.975~0.791,P=0.000~0.041);CTV头脚、矢量方向位移仅与心脏 V₅有关(r=－0.795、0.687,P=0.006、0.028)。肺体积变化与其高剂量受照体积呈正相关(V₂₀、V₃₀、V₄₀、V₅₀,r=0.655~0.882,P=0.001~0.040),而心脏体积变化仅与 V₅相关(r=－0.701,P=0.024)。结论 自由呼吸状态下实施保乳术后全乳正向IMRT,乳腺固有体积变化对放疗影响可忽略,基于4DCT定位并制定治疗计划或辅助呼吸控制可保证全乳正向IMRT实施更为准确。     

Deep inspiration breath-hold technique for lung tumors: the potential value of target immobilization and reduced lung density in dose escalation.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the dosimetric benefits and feasibility of a deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) technique in the treatment of lung tumors. The technique has two distinct features--deep inspiration, which reduces lung density, and breath-hold, which immobilizes lung tumors, thereby allowing for reduced margins. Both of these properties can potentially reduce the amount of normal lung tissue in the high-dose region, thus reducing morbidity and improving the possibility of dose escalation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Five patients treated for non-small cell lung carcinoma (Stage IIA-IIIB) received computed tomography (CT) scans under 4 respiration conditions: free-breathing, DIBH, shallow inspiration breath-hold, and shallow expiration breath-hold. The free-breathing and DIBH scans were used to generate 3-dimensional conformal treatment plans for comparison, while the shallow inspiration and expiration scans determined the extent of tumor motion under free-breathing conditions. To acquire the breath-hold scans, the patients are brought to reproducible respiration levels using spirometry, and for DIBH, modified slow vital capacity maneuvers. Planning target volumes (PTVs) for free-breathing plans included a margin for setup error (0.75 cm) plus a margin equal to the extent of tumor motion due to respiration (1-2 cm). Planning target volumes for DIBH plans included the same margin for setup error, with a reduced margin for residual uncertainty in tumor position (0.2-0.5 cm) as determined from repeat fluoroscopic movies. To simulate the effects of respiration-gated treatments and estimate the role of target immobilization alone (i.e., without the benefit of reduced lung density), a third plan is generated from the free-breathing scan using a PTV with the same margins as for DIBH plans. RESULTS: The treatment plan comparison suggests that, on average, the DIBH technique can reduce the volume of lung receiving more than 25 Gy by 30% compared to free-breathing plans, while respiration gating can reduce the volume by 18%. The DIBH maneuver was found to be highly reproducible, with intra breath-hold reproducibility of 1.0 (+/- 0.9) mm and inter breath-hold reproducibility of 2.5 (+/- 1.6) mm, as determined from diaphragm position. Patients were able to perform 10-13 breath-holds in one session, with a comfortable breath-hold duration of 12-16 s. CONCLUSION: Patients tolerate DIBH maneuvers well and can perform them in a highly reproducible fashion. Compared to conventional free-breathing treatment, the DIBH technique benefits from reduced margins, as a result of the suppressed target motion, as well as a decreased lung density; both contribute to moving normal lung tissue out of the high-dose region. Because less normal lung tissue is irradiated to high dose, the possibility for dose escalation is significantly improved.     

深吸气屏气和自由呼吸状态在乳腺托架固定下全乳调强放疗中的摆位误差研究

目的 比较乳腺癌保乳术后深吸气屏气(DIBH)与自由呼吸(FB)状态下放疗的摆位误差。方法 回顾性分析 2016年4月至 2018年6月在中国医学科学院肿瘤医院接受保乳术后采用DIBH技术行全乳放疗的左侧乳腺患者 30例,并选取 30例自由呼吸状态下接受全乳放疗的乳腺癌患者作为对照。比较放疗计划系统CT图像与放射治疗期间锥形束CT的位移,确定摆位误差,并计算临床靶体积(CTV)外扩至计划靶体积(PTV)的边界。摆位误差的比较采用t检验。结果 全组患者共拍摄锥形束CT图像318套,平均每人(5.1±1.1)套。FB患者摆位误差在x轴、y轴和z轴的位移分别为(2.2±1.7) mm,(3.1±2.5) mm,(3.3±2.3) mm。DIBH患者摆位误差在x轴、y轴和z轴的位移分别为(2.1±1.6) mm,(2.6±1.7) mm,(2.5±2.1) mm。在y轴和z轴方向,DIBH患者的位移显著小于FB患者(P=0.015、0.004),两组患者在x轴方向位移无明显差别(P=0.294)。DIBH患者CTV至PTV在x轴、y轴和z轴方向外扩边界分别为6.2、7.3、7.8mm。DIBH组放疗第一周与后续放疗、不同体重指数(BMI)的摆位误差无差别。结论 乳腺癌保乳术后全乳放疗时,DIBH技术摆位误差小于FB,推荐DIBH放疗的CTV至PTV的外扩边界为 6~8mm。     

Comparison of setup errors between deep inspiration breath hold and free breathing for whole breast irradiation

Objective To compare the setup errors between deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) and free breathing (FB) for breast cancer patients who were treated with whole breast irradiation (WBI) after breast conserving surgery (BCS). Methods In this retrospective analysis, 30 breast cancer patients receiving WBI following BCS using DIBH in National Cancer Center/ Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, an 30 patients treated with WBI using FB were enrolled as comparator.The kilovoltage cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was performed to evaluate and reduce setup errors. The optimal margins from clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) for DIBH were estimated. The differences of setup errors between two techniques were compared using independent two-sample t-test. Results A total of 318 sets of CBCT images were acquired, with (5.1±1.1) sets per patient on average. The setup errors along the three translational directions (laternal, longitudinal and vertical) were (2.1±1.6) mm,(2.6±1.7) mm and (2.5±2.1) mm for DIBH, and (2.2±1.7) mm,(3.1±2.5) mm and (3.3±2.3) mm for FB, respectively. Compared with FB, DIBH significantly reduced setup errors in the longitudinal (P=0.015) and vertical (P=0.004) directions, whereas the setup errors in the lateral direction did not significantly differ (P=0.294). The optimal margins from CTV to PTV using DIBH were 6.2 mm, 7.3 mm and 7.8 mm, respectively.In the DIBH group, treatment fractions at the beginning and higher body mass index (BMI) did not associate with larger set-up deviation. Conclusions DIBH technique yields less setup errors than FB for breast cancer patients treated with WBI after BCS. The CTV-PTV margins of 6-8 mm are recommended for DIBH.     

Benefit of Deep Inspiratory Breath Hold for Right Breast Cancer When Regional Lymph Nodes Are Irradiated

BackgroundAlthough deep inspiratory breath-hold (DIBH) is routinely used for left-sided breast cancers, its benefits for right-sided breast cancer (rBC) have yet to be established. We compared free-breathing (FB) and DIBH treatment plans for a cohort of rBC undergoing regional nodal irradiation (RNI) to determine its potential benefits.Methods and MaterialsrBC patients considered for RNI (internal mammary nodal chains, supraclavicular field, with or without axilla) from October 2017 to May 2020 were included in this analysis. For each patient, FB versus DIBH plans were generated and dose volume histograms evaluated the following parameters: mean lung dose, ipsilateral lung V₂₀/V₅ (volumes of lung receiving 20 Gy and 5 Gy, respectively); mean heart dose and heart V₅ (volumes of heart receiving 5 Gy); liver V_{20 absolute} /V_{30 absolute} (absolute volume of liver receiving 20 Gy and 30 Gy, respectively), liver D_max, and total liver volume irradiated (TVI_liver). The dosimetric parameters were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank testing.ResultsFifty-four patients were eligible for analysis, comparing 108 FB and DIBH plans. DIBH significantly decreased all lung and liver parameters: mean lung dose (19.7 Gy-16.2 Gy, P < .001), lung V₂₀ (40.7%-31.7%, P < .001), lung V₅ (61.2%-54.5%, P < .001), TVI_liver (1446 cc vs 1264 cc; P = .006) liver D_max (50.2 Gy vs 48.9 Gy; P = .023), liver V₂₀ (78.8-23.9 cc, P < .001), and liver V₃₀ (58.1-14.6 cc, P < .001) compared with FB. DIBH use did not significantly improve heart parameters, although the V_5Heart trended on significance (1.25-0.6, P = .067).ConclusionsThis is the largest cohort to date analyzing DIBH for RNI-rBC. Our findings demonstrate significant improvement in all lung and liver parameters with DIBH, supporting its routine consideration for rBC patients undergoing comprehensive RNI.     

Comparison of Techniques for Involved-Site Radiation Therapy in Patients With Lower Mediastinal Lymphoma

PurposePatients with lower mediastinal lymphoma (LML) benefit dosimetrically from proton therapy (PT) compared with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The added dosimetric benefit of deep-inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) is unknown; therefore, we evaluated IMRT versus PT and free-breathing (FB) versus DIBH among patients with LML.Methods and MaterialsTwenty-one patients with LML underwent 4-dimensional computed tomography and 3 sequential DIBH scans at simulation. Involved-site radiation therapy target volumes and organ-at-risk contours were developed for both DIBH and FB scans. FB-IMRT, DIBH-IMRT, FB-PT, and DIBH-PT plans were generated for each patient for comparison.ResultsThe median difference in lung volume between the DIBH and FB scans was 1275 mL; the average difference in clinical target volume was 5.7 mL. DIBH-IMRT produced a lower mean lung dose (10.8 vs 11.9 Gy; P < .001) than FB-IMRT, with no difference in mean heart dose (MHD; 16.1 vs 15.0 Gy; P = .992). Both PT plans produced a significantly lower mean dose to the lung, heart, left ventricle, esophagus, and nontarget body than DIBH-IMRT. DIBH-PT reduced the median MHD by 4.2 Gy (P < .0001); left ventricle dose by 5.1 Gy (P < .0001); and lung V5 by 26% (P < .0001) versus DIBH-IMRT. The 2 PT plans were comparable, with DIBH-PT reducing mean lung dose (7.0 vs 7.7 Gy; P = .063) and with no difference in MHD (10.3 vs 9.5 Gy; P = .992).ConclusionsAmong patients with LML, DIBH (IMRT or PT) improved lung dosimetry over FB but had little influence on MHD. PT (DIBH and FB) significantly reduced lung, heart, esophagus, and nontarget body dose compared with DIBH IMRT, potentially reducing the risk of late complications.     

Prevention of radiochemotherapy-induced esophagitis with glutamine: results of a pilot study

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of oral glutamine to prevent radiochemotherapy-induced esophagitis in patients with lung cancer, and to determine the dosimetric parameter predictive of esophagitis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Seventy-five patients were enrolled; 34.7% received sequential radiochemotherapy, and 65.3% received concomitant radiochemotherapy. Every patient received prophylactic glutamine powder in doses of 10 g/8 h. Prescribed radiation doses were 45-50 Gy to planning target volume (PTV)1 (gross tumor volume plus wide margins) and 65-70 Gy to PTV2 (reduced margins). The primary endpoint was the incidence of Grade 2 or greater acute esophagitis. RESULTS: No patient experienced glutamine intolerance or glutamine-related toxicity. Seventy-three percent of patients who received sequential chemotherapy and 49% of those who received concomitant chemotherapy did not present any form of esophagitis. V50 was the dosimetric parameter with better correlation between esophagitis and its duration. A V50 of or=2, which increased to 71% with a V50 of >30% (p = 0.0009). CONCLUSIONS: The use of oral glutamine may have an important role in the prevention of esophageal complications of concomitant radiochemotherapy in lung cancer patients. However, randomized trials are needed to corroborate that effect. V50 is the dosimetric parameter with better correlation with esophagitis grade and duration.     

PET/CT下非小细胞肺癌三维适形放疗中肿瘤退缩及对治疗计划参数的影响

目的:观察PET/CT下非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)三维适形放疗(3D-CRT)中肿瘤退缩对靶区周围危及器官治疗计划参数的影响.方法:分析在PET/CT定位下行根治性3D-CRT的NSCLC患者55例,根据PET/CT融合图像勾画初始肿瘤放疗靶区,给予根治剂量处方量60~66 Gy/30~33 f 制定3D-CRT计划;放疗20次40 Gy时根据肿瘤退缩情况重新CT定位勾画靶区,修改照射野后重新制定放疗计划完成治疗.比较两次定位影像上GTV的体积VGTV(cm3)、PTV的体积VPTV(cm3) 差异;并对初始放疗计划和实际完成的计划靶区周围危及器官的剂量分布进行比较.结果:55例NSCLC患者中,除1例GTV体积增大(1.77cm3,4%)外,其余54例GTV体积均有不同程度缩小(6%~67%),差异有统计学意义(t=6.635,P=0.000).相应的,除1例PTV体积增大(17.13cm3,8%)外,其余54例PTV体积均有不同程度缩小(3%~59%),差异有统计学意义(t=8.045,P=0.000).两种计划参数VGTV、VPTV、VL20、VR20、SCM、MSD、MLD、MRD、MHD、ESM差异有统计学意义(P=0.000、0.000、0.000、0.000、0.001、0.000、0.000、0.000、0.002、0.031).结论:在NSCLC放疗过程中,肿瘤体积发生明显变化,而根据肿瘤退缩情况适时缩野、重新制定放疗计划,可显著降低肺及脊髓的受照射剂量,为提高靶区剂量、优化放疗计划提供了可能.     

深吸气屏气技术在左侧乳腺癌术后放疗中的应用（附41例）

目的:探讨深吸气屏气(deep inspiration breath hold，DIBH)技术在左侧乳腺癌术后放射治疗中的剂量学优势。方法:对澳门镜湖医院在2016年4月至2017年12月期间连续收治的41例左侧乳腺癌患者，接受术后放疗的资料进行总结，比较DIBH和自由呼吸（free breath，FB）两种呼吸模式下放疗的剂量学差异，包括靶区适形性（conformity index，CI）和均匀性（homogeneity index，HI）参数，肺、心脏、左侧冠状动脉前降支（LAD）以及右侧乳腺剂量比较。结果:DIBH和FB两种模式下心脏的平均剂量、左侧冠状动脉前降支平均剂量、左肺V20有显著性差别，分别是（4.92±1.93）Gy vs （6.53±2.30）Gy（P<0.001）、（18.71±9.00）Gy vs （27.21±8.81）Gy（P<0.001）、（23.42±6.67）% vs （28.03±8.68）%（P<0.001）。单纯全乳/胸壁放疗与全乳/胸壁+区域淋巴结放疗两组在DIBH模式下，左肺V20下降的百分比分别为16.53%和24.86%，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。DIBH和FB的靶区适形性和均匀性均无差异。结论:采用DIBH可以显著减少心脏、冠状动脉和肺等重要器官的照射。无论是单纯乳腺/胸壁放疗还是合并区域淋巴结放疗，采用DIBH技术均可以临床获益。     

Feasibility of non-coplanar tomotherapy for lung cancer stereotactic body radiation therapy

To quantify the dosimetric gains from non-coplanar helical tomotherapy (HT) arcs for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of lung cancer, we created oblique helical arcs by rotating patient's CT images. Ten, 20 and 30 degrees of yaws were introduced in the treatment planning for a patient with a hypothetical lung tumor at the upper, middle and lower portion of the right lung, and the upper and middle left lung. The planning target volume (PTV) was 43 cm(3). 60 Gy was prescribed to the PTV. Dose to organs at risk (OARs), which included the lungs, heart, spinal cord and chest wall, was optimized using a 2.5 cm jaw, 0.287 pitch and modulation factor of 2.5. Composite plans were generated by dose summation of the resultant plans. These plans were evaluated for its conformity index (R(x)) and percentile volume of lung receiving radiation dose of x Gy (V(x)). Conformity index was defined by the ratio of x percent isodose volume and PTV. The results show that combination of non-coplanar arcs reduced R(50) by 4.5%, R(20) by 26% and R(10) by 30% on average. Non-coplanar arcs did not affect V(20) but reduced V(10) and V(5) by 10% and 24% respectively. Composite of the non-coplanar arcs also reduced maximum dose to the spinal cord by 20-39%. Volume of chest wall receiving higher than 30 Gy was reduced by 48% on average. Heart dose reduction was dependent on the location of the PTV and the choice of non-coplanar orientations. Therefore we conclude that non-coplanar HT arcs significantly improve critical organ sparing in lung SBRT without changing the PTV dose coverage.     

Deep inspiration breath hold technique reduces heart dose from radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer

Introduction: Adjuvant left breast radiotherapy (ALBR) for breast cancer can result in significant radiation dose to the heart. Current evidence suggests a dose–response relationship between the risk of cardiac morbidity and radiation dose to cardiac volumes. This study explores the potential benefit of utilising a deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) technique to reduce cardiac doses. Methods: Thirty patients with left‐sided breast cancer underwent CT‐simulation scans in free breathing (FB) and DIBH. Treatment plans were generated using a hybrid intensity‐modulated radiation therapy technique with simultaneous integrated boost. A dosimetric comparison was made between the two techniques for the heart, left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), left lung and contralateral breast. Results: Compared with FB, DIBH resulted in a significant reduction in heart V30 (7.1 vs. 2.4%, P < 0.0001), mean heart dose (6.9 vs. 3.9 Gy, P < 0.001), maximum LAD planning risk volume (PRV) dose, (51.6 vs. 45.6 Gy, P = 0.0032) and the mean LAD PRV dose (31.7 vs. 21.9 Gy, P < 0.001). No significant difference was noted for lung V20, mean lung dose or mean dose to the contralateral breast. The DIBH plans demonstrated significantly larger total lung volumes (1126 vs. 2051 cc, P < 0.0001), smaller maximum heart depth (2.08 vs. 1.17 cm, P < 0.0001) and irradiated heart volume (36.9 vs. 12.1 cc, P < 0.0001). Conclusions: DIBH resulted in a significant reduction in radiation dose to the heart and LAD compared with an FB technique for ALBR. Ongoing research is required to determine optimal cardiac dose constraints and methods of predicting which patients will derive the most benefit from a DIBH technique.     

Increased therapeutic ratio by 18FDG-PET CT planning in patients with clinical CT stage N2-N3M0 non-small-cell lung cancer: a modeling study

PURPOSE: With this modeling study, we wanted to estimate the potential gain from incorporating fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scanning in the radiotherapy treatment planning of CT Stage N2-N3M0 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-one consecutive patients with clinical CT Stage N2-N3M0 NSCLC were studied. For each patient, two three-dimensional conformal treatment plans were made: one with a CT-based planning target volume (PTV) and one with a PET-CT-based PTV, both to deliver 60 Gy in 30 fractions. From the dose-volume histograms and dose distributions on each plan, the dosimetric factors predicting esophageal and lung toxicity were analyzed and compared. For each patient, the maximal tolerable prescribed radiation dose for the CT PTV vs. PET-CT PTV was calculated according to the constraints for the lung, esophagus, and spinal cord. From these results, the tumor control probability (TCP) was estimated, assuming a clinical dose-response curve with a median toxic dose of 84.5 Gy and a gamma(50) of 2.0. Dose-response curves were modeled, taking into account geographic misses according to the accuracy of CT and PET in our institutions. RESULTS: The gross tumor volume of the nodes decreased from 13.7 +/- 3.8 cm(3) on the CT scan to 9.9 +/- 4.0 cm(3) on the PET-CT scan (p = 0.011). All dose-volume characteristics for the esophagus and lungs decreased in favor of PET-CT. The esophageal V(45) (the volume of the esophagus receiving 45 Gy) decreased from 45.2% +/- 4.9% to 34.0% +/- 5.8% (p = 0.003), esophageal V(55) (the volume of the esophagus receiving 55 Gy) from 30.6% +/- 3.2% to 21.9% +/- 3.8% (p = 0.004), mean esophageal dose from 29.8 +/- 2.5 Gy to 23.7 +/- 3.1 Gy (p = 0.004), lung V(20) (the volume of the lungs minus the PTV receiving 20 Gy) from 24.9% +/- 2.3% to 22.3% +/- 2.2% (p = 0.012), and mean lung dose from 14.7 +/- 1.3 Gy to 13.6 +/- 1.3 Gy (p = 0.004). For the same toxicity levels of the lung, esophagus, and spinal cord, the dose could be increased from 56.0 +/- 5.4 Gy with CT planning to 71.0 +/- 13.7 Gy with PET planning (p = 0.038). The TCP corresponding to these doses was estimated to be 14.2% +/- 5.6% for CT and 22.8% +/- 7.1% for PET-CT planning (p = 0.026). Adjusting for geographic misses by PET-CT vs. CT planning yielded TCP estimates of 12.5% and 18.3% (p = 0.009) for CT and PET-CT planning, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this group of clinical CT Stage N2-N3 NSCLC patients, use of FDG-PET scanning information in radiotherapy planning reduced the radiation exposure of the esophagus and lung, and thus allowed significant radiation dose escalation while respecting all relevant normal tissue constraints. This, together with a reduced risk of geographic misses using PET-CT, led to an estimated increase in TCP from 13% to 18%. The results of this modeling study support clinical trials investigating incorporation of FDG-PET information in CT-based radiotherapy planning.     

Excluding either gross tumor volume or planning target volume from the normal lung volume in lung cancer irradiation: Evaluation of the dosimetric impact

PurposeWhen evaluating dosimetric parameters predictive of lung toxicity in lung cancer, the total lung volume can be defined to exclude the gross tumor volume (lung-GTV) or to exclude the planning target volume (lung-PTV). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of these 2 types of delineation on the dosimetric parameters V20, V30, and mean lung dose (MLD).Methods and MaterialsWe analyzed 69 patients with lung cancer treated with 3-dimensional radiation therapy. Normal lung volume was defined using 2 modalities of delineation: lung-GTV and lung-PTV. The lung volume inside the PTV, but outside the GTV, corresponded to the margins within the lung parenchyma applied to the GTV and the clinical target volume (CTV) to obtain the PTV. This volume (expressed in percentage of total lung volume) increases with the following: (1) the margins (GTV to CTV and CTV to PTV) increase within the lung parenchyma; (2) the GTV increases; and (3) the total lung volume decreases.ResultsMean reduction of lung volume was 5.1% (range, 1.4-10.0). With the delineation lung-PTV rather than lung-GTV, the mean reduction was 3.1% (P < 10^- 7), 3.3% (P < 10^- 7), and 2.1 Gy (P < 10^- 7) for V20, V30, and MLD, respectively. These reductions correlated strongly with reduction of lung volume (r² range, 0.89-0.96). For 25% of patients having greater reduction of lung volume (high margins, high tumor volume, small lung volume), reduction of V20 ranged from 4.5%-6.3%, reduction of V30 ranged from 4.6%-7.0%, and reduction of MLD ranged from 2.9 Gy-4 Gy.ConclusionsThe dosimetric parameters V20, V30, and MLD are reduced with the delineation using lung-PTV rather than lung-GTV. These reductions correlate with lung volume in the PTV and can be significant.     

左侧乳腺癌保乳术后采用深吸气屏气放疗的心脏剂量学分析

目的 探究左侧乳腺癌保乳术后放疗患者采用深吸气屏气(DIBH)技术对心脏剂量的改善情况,分析可能影响心脏剂量的解剖因素。方法 前瞻性入组 15例左侧乳腺癌保乳术后行全乳放疗患者,符合呼吸控制要求。分别在自由呼吸(FB)和DIBH状态下进行2次模拟CT扫描,在DIBH图像上制定全乳放疗计划。比较FB和DIBH状态下心肺位置和体积变化以及心肺剂量差异,探究FB状态下各解剖因素与心脏剂量的相关性。对计数资料组间行非参数Wilcoxon秩和检验,双变量相关分析采用Pearson法。结果 DIBH与FB状态下心脏体积相似(P=0.773),而双肺体积明显增加(P=0.001)。心脏、冠脉左前降支、左心室、右心室和左肺 Dmean、Dmax和V5—V40均明显降低(P<0.05)。DIBH使肺体积增加越显著,心脏平均剂量下降幅度越大。FB状态下乳腺体积、心肺体积比、乳腺下界与心脏下界距离、最大心脏切缘距离分别与心脏剂量呈线性相关,其中心肺体积比、最大心脏切缘距离与心脏剂量具有独立相关性。结论 左侧乳腺癌保乳术后采用DIBH技术行全乳放疗较FB状态明显降低心肺剂量。肺体积的变化是改善心脏相对解剖位置的基础。心肺体积比、最大心脏切缘距离或许可以作为进行DIBH技术治疗的参考标准。