PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of common three photon energies (6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV) on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans to treat prostate cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with prostate cancer treated locally to 81.0 Gy were retrospectively studied. 6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV IMRT plans for each patient were generated using suitable planning objectives, dose constraints, and 8-field setting. The plans were analyzed in terms of dose-volume histogram for the target coverage, dose conformity, organs at risk (OAR) sparing, and normal tissue integral dose. RESULTS: Regardless of the energies chosen at the plans, the target coverage, conformity, and homogeneity of the plans were similar. However, there was a significant dose increase in rectal wall and femoral heads for 6-MV compared to those for 10-MV and 15-MV. The V20 Gy of rectal wall with 6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV were 95.6%, 88.4%, and 89.4% while the mean dose to femoral heads were 31.7, 25.9, and 26.3 Gy, respectively. Integral doses to the normal tissues in higher energy (10-MV and 15-MV) plans were reduced by about 7%. Overall, integral doses in mid and low dose regions in 6-MV plans were increased by up to 13%. CONCLUSION: In this study, 10-MV prostate IMRT plans showed better OAR sparing and less integral doses than the 6-MV. The biological and clinical significance of this finding remains to be determined afterward, considering neutron dose contribution.
Head ; Humans ; Neutrons ; Organs at Risk ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is extracranial stereotactic radiosurgery or stereotactic radiation therapy, a newly emerging radiotherapy treatment method to deliver a high dose of radiation to the target, utilizing either a single dose or a small number of fractions with a high degree of precision within the body. The ability to deliver a single or a few fractions of high-dose ionizing radiation with a high targeting accuracy and rapid dose falloff gradients encompassing tumors with a patient provides the basis for the development of SBRT. A few fractions, the use of fiducial as a marker, image guidance and multiple radiation beam, and gating through a skin marker are unique technologies as compared to the conventional fractionated radiotherapy. The most common sites for these treatments are lung and liver, which are considered to parallel organs at risk. Recently, it was confirmed that prostate, spinal/paraspinal, head and neck, and pancreas tumors could be new candidates for these novel treatments. The preliminary reports show promising results with a relatively low complication rate. This article provides an overview of SBRT, the indication, descriptions of method including radiation dose and fraction size, the clinical data of lung and liver tumor, and discussions on potential areas of future investigations.
Head ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Neck ; Organs at Risk ; Pancreas ; Prostate ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Radiosurgery ; Skin

PURPOSE: Intensity modulated arc therapy (IMAT) is a form of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) that delivers dose in single or multiple arcs. We compared IMRT plans versus single-arc field (1ARC) and multi-arc fields (3ARC) IMAT plans in high-risk prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients were studied. Prostate (PTVP), right pelvic (PTVRtLN) and left pelvic lymph nodes (PTVLtLN), and organs at risk were contoured. PTVP, PTVRtLN, and PTVLtLN received 50.40 Gy followed by a boost to PTVB of 28.80 Gy. Three plans were per patient generated: IMRT, 1ARC, and 3ARC. We recorded the dose to the PTV, the mean dose (DMEAN) to the organs at risk, and volume covered by the 50% isodose. Efficiency was evaluated by monitor units (MU) and beam on time (BOT). Conformity index (CI), Paddick gradient index, and homogeneity index (HI) were also calculated. RESULTS: Average Radiation Therapy Oncology Group CI was 1.17, 1.20, and 1.15 for IMRT, 1ARC, and 3ARC, respectively. The plans' HI were within 1% of each other. The DMEAN of bladder was within 2% of each other. The rectum DMEAN in IMRT plans was 10% lower dose than the arc plans (p < 0.0001). The GI of the 3ARC was superior to IMRT by 27.4% (p = 0.006). The average MU was highest in the IMRT plans (1686) versus 1ARC (575) versus 3ARC (1079). The average BOT was 6 minutes for IMRT compared to 1.3 and 2.9 for 1ARC and 3ARC IMAT (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: For high-risk prostate cancer, IMAT may offer a favorable dose gradient profile, conformity, MU and BOT compared to IMRT.
Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Organs at Risk ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Rectum ; Urinary Bladder

TomoTherapy has a merit to treat cancer with Intensity modulated radiation and combines precise 3-D imaging from computerized tomography (CT scanning) with highly targeted radiation beams and rotating beamlets. In this paper, we comparing the dose distribution between TomoTherapy and linear accelerator based intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for 10 Head & Neck patients using TomoTherapy which is newly installed and operated at National Cancer Center since Sept. 2006. Furthermore, we estimate how the homogeneity and Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) are changed by motion of target. Inverse planning was carried out using CadPlan planning system (CadPlan R.6.4.7, Varian Medical System Inc. 3100 Hansen Way, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1129, USA). For each patient, an inverse IMRT plan was also made using TomoTherapy Hi-Art System (Hi-Art2_2_4 2.2.4.15, TomoTherapy Incorporated, 1240 Deming Way, Madson, WI 53717-1954, USA) and using the same targets and optimization goals. All TomoTherapy plans compared favorably with the IMRT plans regarding sparing of the organs at risk and keeping an equivalent target dose homogeneity. Our results suggest that TomoTherapy is able to reduce the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) further, keeping a similar target dose homogeneity.
Head ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Neck ; Organs at Risk ; Particle Accelerators ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare dosimetric parameters of intensity-modulated mode of TomoDirect and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) in patients with early breast cancer. METHODS: TomoDirect and 3D-CRT planning were carried out for 26 patients with early breast cancer who had received breast-conserving surgery. A total of 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions were prescribed to the planning target volume. The organs at risk (OAR) such as lung and heart were contoured. Planning target volume (PTV) dose coverage, radiation conformity index (RCI), radical dose homogeneity index (rDHI), and irradiation dose of organs at risk were compared between TomoDirect and 3D-CRT planning. RESULTS: The mean PTV dose (51.65+/-0.37 Gy) and V47.8 (100%) in TomoDirect were significantly higher than the mean PTV dose (50.88+/-0.65 Gy) and V47.8 (89.23%+/-0.06%) in 3D-CRT (all, p<0.001). The RCI value in TomoDirect was significantly better than that in 3D-CRT (1.00 vs. 1.13, p<0.001). However, the rDHI value in TomoDirect was not significantly better than that in 3D-CRT (0.72 vs. 0.67, p=0.056). The mean lung dose and V10, V20, V30, and V40 values of ipsilateral lung in TomoDirect were significantly lower than those in 3D-CRT (all, p<0.05). There is no significant difference in the V10, V20, V30, and V40 values of heart between TomoDirect and 3D-CRT. And the mean dose for heart in TomoDirect was marginally lower than that in 3D-CRT (1.05 Gy vs. 1.62 Gy, p=0.085). The mean dose for left anterior descending coronary artery in left breast cancer was significantly lower in TomoDirect than in 3D-CRT (7.2 Gy vs. 12.1 Gy, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared to 3D-CRT, TomoDirect could result in favorable target coverage while reducing the irradiation dose of the ipsilateral lung for patients with early breast cancer.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Coronary Vessels ; Heart ; Humans ; Lung ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Organs at Risk ; Radiometry ; Radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy, Conformal*

OBJECTIVE: To establish an algorithm based on 3D convolution neural network to segment the organs at risk (OARs) in the head and neck on CT images. METHODS: We propose an automatic segmentation algorithm of head and neck OARs based on V-Net. To enhance the feature expression ability of the 3D neural network, we combined the squeeze and exception (SE) module with the residual convolution module in V-Net to increase the weight of the features that has greater contributions to the segmentation task. Using a multi-scale strategy, we completed organ segmentation using two cascade models for location and fine segmentation, and the input image was resampled to different resolutions during preprocessing to allow the two models to focus on the extraction of global location information and local detail features respectively. RESULTS: Our experiments on segmentation of 22 OARs in the head and neck indicated that compared with the existing methods, the proposed method achieved better segmentation accuracy and efficiency, and the average segmentation accuracy was improved by 9%. At the same time, the average test time was reduced from 33.82 s to 2.79 s. CONCLUSIONS The 3D convolution neural network based on multi-scale strategy can effectively and efficiently improve the accuracy of organ segmentation and can be potentially used in clinical setting for segmentation of other organs to improve the efficiency of clinical treatment.
Head ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Neck ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Organs at Risk ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: A hybrid-dynamic conformal arc therapy (HDCAT) technique consisting of a single half-rotated dynamic conformal arc beam and static field-in-field beams in two directions was designed and evaluated in terms of dosimetric benefits for radiotherapy of lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This planning study was performed in 20 lung cancer cases treated with the VERO system (BrainLAB AG, Feldkirchen, Germany). Dosimetric parameters of HDCAT plans were compared with those of three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) plans in terms of target volume coverage, dose conformity, and sparing of organs at risk. RESULTS: HDCAT showed better dose conformity compared with 3D-CRT (conformity index: 0.74 ± 0.06 vs. 0.62 ± 0.06, p < 0.001). HDCAT significantly reduced the lung volume receiving more than 20 Gy (V20: 21.4% ± 8.2% vs. 24.5% ± 8.8%, p < 0.001; V30: 14.2% ± 6.1% vs. 15.1% ± 6.4%, p = 0.02; V40: 8.8% ± 3.9% vs. 10.3% ± 4.5%, p < 0.001; and V50: 5.7% ± 2.7% vs. 7.1% ± 3.2%, p < 0.001), V40 and V50 of the heart (V40: 5.2 ± 3.9 Gy vs. 7.6 ± 5.5 Gy, p < 0.001; V50: 1.8 ± 1.6 Gy vs. 3.1 ± 2.8 Gy, p = 0.001), and the maximum spinal cord dose (34.8 ± 9.4 Gy vs. 42.5 ± 7.8 Gy, p < 0.001) compared with 3D-CRT. CONCLUSIONS: HDCAT could achieve highly conformal target coverage and reduce the doses to critical organs such as the lung, heart, and spinal cord compared to 3D-CRT for the treatment of lung cancer patients.
Heart ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung ; Organs at Risk ; Radiotherapy ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; Spinal Cord

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify volume changes and dose variations of rectum and bladder during radiation therapy in prostate cancer (PC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 20 patients with PC treated with helical tomotherapy. Daily image guidance was performed. We re-contoured the entire bladder and rectum including its contents as well as the organ walls on megavoltage computed tomography once a week. Dose variations were analyzed by means of Dmedian, Dmean, Dmax, V₁₀ to V₇₅, as well as the organs at risk (OAR) volume. Further, we investigated the correlation between volume changes and changes in Dmean of OAR.
Humans ; Organs at Risk ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy, Image-Guided ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated ; Rectum ; Urinary Bladder

PURPOSE: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) is a well-established technique that enables efficient cardiac sparing in patients with left-sided breast cancer. The aim of the current study was to determine if DIBH is effective for reducing radiation exposure of of liver and other organs at risk in right breast radiotherapy (RT).MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with right-sided breast cancer were enrolled in this study. Three-dimensional conformal RT plans were generated for each patient, with two different computed tomography scans of free breathing (FB) and DIBH. Nodes were contoured according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group contouring guidelines. Dose-volume histograms for the target volume coverage and organs at risk were evaluated and analyzed.RESULTS: DIBH plans showed significant reduction in mean liver dose (5.59 ± 2.07 Gy vs. 2.54 ± 1.40 Gy; p = 0.0003), V(20Gy) (148.38 ± 73.05 vs. 64.19 ± 51.07 mL; p = 0.0003) and V(10Gy) (195.34 ± 93.57 vs. 89.81 ± 57.28 mL; p = 0.0003) volumes compared with FB plans. Right lung doses were also significantly reduced in DIBH plans. Heart and left lung doses showed small but statistically significant improvement with application of the DIBH technique.CONCLUSION: We report that the use of DIBH for right-sided breast cancer significantly reduces the radiation doses to the liver, lungs, and heart.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast ; Heart ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Organs at Risk ; Radiation Exposure ; Radiotherapy ; Respiration ; Unilateral Breast Neoplasms

OBJECTIVE: To design a series of geometric indexes, which can improve the correlation between geometric parameters and dosimetric parameters. METHODS: 48 cases of upper abdomen were selected. Manual and automatic segmentation were performed for two organs at risk, which were stomach and duodenum. Three overlapping structures, which were the overlaps with target expanded by 5 mm, 10 mm and 20 mm, were generated for each organ at risk. The geometric parameters of overlapping structures were calculated. The relationship between these geometric parameters and the dosimetric parameters of organs was investigated. RESULTS: When the geometric parameters of overlapping structures related to the target expand 5 mm, 10 mm and 20 mm were larger than 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 respectively, the maximum dose differences of manual and automatic segmentation were less than 3 Gy. For the case with no overlaps between the organs and the target expansions, the overlap structure corresponding to target expanding 20 mm were recommended for safety considerations. CONCLUSIONS For organs at risk in the upper abdomen, the overlapping geometric parameters were closely related to the maximum dose of organs. Overlapping geometric parameters could predict whether the difference of maximum dose caused by automaticsegmentation was clinically acceptable or not.
Organs at Risk ; Radiometry ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated