Time-resolved dosimetry with pencil-beam scanning for quality assurance/quality control in particle therapy.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Han S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8598136 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:PurposeCarbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) has emerged as a promising treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, evidence of using the pencil beam scanning (PBS) technique to treat moving liver tumors remains lacking. The present study investigated the efficacy and toxicity of PBS CIRT in patients with HCC.MethodsBetween January 2016 and October 2021, 90 consecutive HCC patients treated with definitive CIRT in our center were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty-eight patients received relative biological effectiveness-weighted doses of 50-70 Gy in 10 fractions, and 32 received 60-67.5 Gy in 15 fractions, which were determined by the tumor location and normal tissue constraints. Active motion-management techniques and necessary strategies were adopted to mitigate interplay effects efficiently. Oncologic outcomes and toxicities were evaluated.ResultsThe median follow-up time was 28.6 months (range 5.7-74.6 months). The objective response rate was 75.0% for all 90 patients with 100 treated lesions. The overall survival rates at 1-, 2- and 3-years were 97.8%, 83.3% and 75.4%, respectively. The local control rates at 1-, 2- and 3-years were 96.4%, 96.4% and 93.1%, respectively. Radiation-induced liver disease was not documented, and 4 patients (4.4%) had their Child-Pugh score elevated by 1 point after CIRT. No grade 3 or higher acute non-hematological toxicities were observed. Six patients (6.7%) experienced grade 3 or higher late toxicities.ConclusionThe active scanning technique was clinically feasible to treat HCC by applying necessary mitigation measures for interplay effects. The desirable oncologic outcomes as well as favorable toxicity profiles presented in this study will be a valuable reference for other carbon-ion centers using the PBS technique and local effect model-based system, and add to a growing body of evidence about the role of CIRT in the management of HCC.
| S-EPMC10759913 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundProton pencil beam (PB) dose calculation algorithms have limited accuracy within heterogeneous tissues of lung cancer patients, which may be addressed by modern commercial Monte Carlo (MC) algorithms. We investigated clinical pencil beam scanning (PBS) dose differences between PB and MC-based treatment planning for lung cancer patients.MethodsWith IRB approval, a comparative dosimetric analysis between RayStation MC and PB dose engines was performed on ten patient plans. PBS gantry plans were generated using single-field optimization technique to maintain target coverage under range and setup uncertainties. Dose differences between PB-optimized (PBopt), MC-recalculated (MCrecalc), and MC-optimized (MCopt) plans were recorded for the following region-of-interest metrics: clinical target volume (CTV) V95, CTV homogeneity index (HI), total lung V20, total lung VRX (relative lung volume receiving prescribed dose or higher), and global maximum dose. The impact of PB-based and MC-based planning on robustness to systematic perturbation of range (±3% density) and setup (±3 mm isotropic) was assessed. Pairwise differences in dose parameters were evaluated through non-parametric Friedman and Wilcoxon sign-rank testing.ResultsIn this ten-patient sample, CTV V95 decreased significantly from 99-100% for PBopt to 77-94% for MCrecalc and recovered to 99-100% for MCopt (P<10-5). The median CTV HI (D95/D5) decreased from 0.98 for PBopt to 0.91 for MCrecalc and increased to 0.95 for MCopt (P<10-3). CTV D95 robustness to range and setup errors improved under MCopt (ΔD95 =-1%) compared to MCrecalc (ΔD95 =-6%, P=0.006). No changes in lung dosimetry were observed for large volumes receiving low to intermediate doses (e.g., V20), while differences between PB-based and MC-based planning were noted for small volumes receiving high doses (e.g., VRX). Global maximum patient dose increased from 106% for PBopt to 109% for MCrecalc and 112% for MCopt (P<10-3).ConclusionsMC dosimetry revealed a reduction in target dose coverage under PB-based planning that was regained under MC-based planning along with improved plan robustness. MC-based optimization and dose calculation should be integrated into clinical planning workflows of lung cancer patients receiving actively scanned proton therapy.
| S-EPMC5960654 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposePatients with bilateral breast cancer (BBC), who require postmastectomy radiation therapy or radiation as part of breast conservation treatment, present a unique technical challenge. Even with modern techniques, such as intensity modulated radiation therapy or volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), adequate target coverage is rarely achieved without the expense of increased integral dose to important organs at risk (OARs), such as the heart and lungs. Therefore, we present several BBC techniques and a treatment algorithm using intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for patients treated at our center.Materials and methodsWe describe 3 different BBC treatment techniques using IMPT on patients treated at our center, with comparison VMAT plans to demonstrate the dosimetric benefit of proton therapy in these patients. Following RADCOMP (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) guidelines, a single physician approved all target volumes and OARs. Plans were designed so that ≥ 95% of the prescribed dose covered ≥ 95% of all targets. Parameters for dosimetric volume histograms for the clinical targets and OARs are reported for the 2 radiation methods.ResultsAll methods demonstrated acceptable target coverage with 95% of the prescription planning target volume reaching a mean (± SD) of 98.0% (± 0.87%) and 97.5% (± 2.39%), for VMAT and IMPT plans, respectively. Conformity and homogeneity were also similar between the 2 techniques. Proton therapy provided observed improvements in mean heart dose (average heart mean [SD], 9.98 Gy [± 0.87 Gy] versus 2.12 Gy [± 0.96 Gy]) and total lung 5% prescription dose (V5; mean [SD] total lung V5, 97.9% [± 2.84%]), compared with 39.8% [± 9.39%]). All IMPT methods spared critical OARs; however, the single, 0° anterior-posterior plan allowed for the shortest treatment time.ConclusionBoth VMAT and all 3 IMPT techniques provided excellent target coverage in patients with BBC; however, proton therapy was superior in decreasing the dose to OARs. A single-field optimization approach should be the IMPT method of choice when feasible.
| S-EPMC6986399 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeTo compare spatially fractionated radiation therapy (GRID) treatment planning techniques using proton pencil-beam-scanning (PBS) and photon therapy.Materials and methodsPBS and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) GRID plans were retrospectively generated for 5 patients with bulky tumors. GRID targets were arranged along the long axis of the gross tumor, spaced 2 and 3 cm apart, and treated with a prescription of 18 Gy. PBS plans used 2- to 3-beam multiple-field optimization with robustness evaluation. Dosimetric parameters including peak-to-edge ratio (PEDR), ratio of dose to 90% of the valley to dose to 10% of the peak VPDR(D90/D10), and volume of normal tissue receiving at least 5 Gy (V5) and 10 Gy (V10) were calculated. The peak-to-valley dose ratio (PVDR), VPDR(D90/D10), and organ-at-risk doses were prospectively assessed in 2 patients undergoing PBS-GRID with pretreatment quality assurance computed tomography (QACT) scans.ResultsPBS and VMAT GRID plans were generated for 5 patients with bulky tumors. Gross tumor volume values ranged from 826 to 1468 cm3. Peak-to-edge ratio for PBS was higher than for VMAT for both spacing scenarios (2-cm spacing, P = .02; 3-cm spacing, P = .01). VPDR(D90/D10) for PBS was higher than for VMAT (2-cm spacing, P = .004; 3-cm spacing, P = .002). Normal tissue V5 was lower for PBS than for VMAT (2-cm spacing, P = .03; 3-cm spacing, P = .02). Normal tissue mean dose was lower with PBS than with VMAT (2-cm spacing, P = .03; 3-cm spacing, P = .02). Two patients treated using PBS GRID and assessed with pretreatment QACT scans demonstrated robust PVDR, VPDR(D90/D10), and organs-at-risk doses.ConclusionsThe PEDR was significantly higher for PBS than VMAT plans, indicating lower target edge dose. Normal tissue mean dose was significantly lower with PBS than VMAT. PBS GRID may result in lower normal tissue dose compared with VMAT plans, allowing for further dose escalation in patients with bulky disease.
| S-EPMC9875826 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PurposeWe investigate two margin-based schemes for optimization target volumes (OTV), both isotropic expansion (2 mm) and beam-specific OTV, to account for uncertainties due to the setup errors and range uncertainties in pancreatic stereotactic pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy. Also, as 2-mm being one of the extreme sizes of margin, we also study whether the plan quality of 2-mm uniform expansion could be comparable to other plan schemes.Methods and materialsWe developed 2 schemes for OTV: (1) a uniform expansion of 2 mm (OTV2mm) for setup uncertainty and (2) a water equivalent thickness-based, beam-specific expansion (OTVWET) on beam direction and 2 mm expansion laterally. Six LAPC patients were planned with a prescribed dose of 33 Gy (RBE) in 5 fractions. Robustness optimization (RO) plans on gross tumor volumes, with setup uncertainties of 2 mm and range uncertainties of 3.5%, were implemented as a benchmark.ResultsAll 3 optimization schemes achieved decent target coverage with no significant difference. The OTV2mm plans show superior organ at risk (OAR) sparing, especially for proximal duodenum. However, OTV2mm plans demonstrate severe susceptibility to range and setup uncertainties with a passing rate of 19% of the plans meeting the goal of 95% volume covered by the prescribed dose. The proposed dose spread function analysis shows no significant difference.ConclusionsThe use of OTVWET mimics a union volume for all scenarios in robust optimization but saves optimization time noticeably. The beam-specific margin can be attractive to online adaptive stereotactic body proton therapy owing to the efficiency of the plan optimization.
| S-EPMC8463829 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Proton therapy makes use of the favorable depth-dose distribution with its characteristic Bragg peak to spare normal tissue distal of the target volume. A steep dose gradient would be desired in lateral dimensions, too. The widespread spot scanning delivery technique is based, however, on pencil-beams with in-air spot full-widths-at-half-maximum of typically 1 cm or more. This hampers the sparing of organs-at-risk if small-scale structures adjacent to the target volume are concerned. The trimming of spot scanning fields with collimating apertures constitutes a simple measure to increase the transversal dose gradient. The current study describes the clinical implementation of brass apertures in conjunction with the pencil-beam scanning delivery mode at a horizontal, clinical treatment head based on commercial hardware and software components. Furthermore, clinical cases, which comprised craniopharyngiomas, re-irradiations and ocular tumors, were evaluated. The dosimetric benefits of 31 treatment plans using apertures were compared to the corresponding plans without aperture. Furthermore, an overview of the radiation protection aspects is given. Regarding the results, robust optimization considering range and setup uncertainties was combined with apertures. The treatment plan optimizations followed a single-field uniform dose or a restricted multi-field optimization approach. Robustness evaluation was expanded to account for possible deviations of the center of the pencil-beam delivery and the mechanical center of the aperture holder. Supplementary apertures improved the conformity index on average by 15.3%. The volume of the dose gradient surrounding the PTV (evaluated between 80 and 20% dose levels) was decreased on average by 17.6%. The mean dose of the hippocampi could be reduced on average by 2.9 GyRBE. In particular cases the apertures facilitated a sparing of an organ-at-risk, e.g. the eye lens or the brainstem. For six craniopharyngioma cases the inclusion of apertures led to a reduction of the mean dose of 1.5 GyRBE (13%) for the brain and 3.1 GyRBE (16%) for the hippocampi.
| S-EPMC8149965 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy can provide highly conformal target dose distributions and healthy tissue sparing. However, proton therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is prone to dosimetrical uncertainties induced by respiratory motion. This study aims to develop intra-treatment tumor motion monitoring during respiratory gated proton therapy and combine it with motion-including dose reconstruction to estimate the delivered tumor doses for individual HCC treatment fractions.MethodsThree HCC-patients were planned to receive 58 GyRBE (n=2) or 67.5 GyRBE (n=1) of exhale respiratory gated PBS proton therapy in 15 fractions. The treatment planning was based on the exhale phase of a 4-dimensional CT scan. Daily setup was based on cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging of three implanted fiducial markers. An external marker block (RPM) on the patient's abdomen was used for exhale gating in free breathing. This study was based on 5 fractions (patient 1), 1 fraction (patient 2) and 6 fractions (patient 3) where a post-treatment control CBCT was available. After treatment, segmented 2D marker positions in the post-treatment CBCT projections provided the estimated 3D motion trajectory during the CBCT by a probability-based method. An external-internal correlation model (ECM) that estimated the tumor motion from the RPM motion was built from the synchronized RPM signal and marker motion in the CBCT. The ECM was then used to estimate intra-treatment tumor motion. Finally, the motion-including CTV dose was estimated using a dose reconstruction method that emulates tumor motion in beam's eye view as lateral spot shifts and in-depth motion as changes in the proton beam energy. The CTV homogeneity index (HI) The CTV homogeneity index (HI) was calculated as D2% - D98%D50% ×100% .ResultsThe tumor position during spot delivery had a root-mean-square error of 1.3 mm in left-right, 2.8 mm in cranio-caudal and 1.7 mm in anterior-posterior directions compared to the planned position. On average, the CTV HI was larger than planned by 3.7%-points (range: 1.0-6.6%-points) for individual fractions and by 0.7%-points (range: 0.3-1.1%-points) for the average dose of 5 or 6 fractions.ConclusionsA method to estimate internal tumor motion and reconstruct the motion-including fraction dose for PBS proton therapy of HCC was developed and demonstrated successfully clinically.
| S-EPMC10019817 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background and purpose:Patient-level benefits of proton beam therapy (PBT) relative to photon therapy for prostate cancer (PC) continue to be the focus of debate. Although trials comparing the two modalities are underway, most are being conducted using "conventional" PBT (passive scattering/uniform scanning [PS/US]) rather than pencil beam scanning (PBS). The dosimetric benefits of PBS are well-known, but comparative data are limited. This analysis compares PBS toxicity rates with those of PS/US in a prospective multicenter registry. Methods:We evaluated acute/late gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicity rates for men with low-to-intermediate risk PC enrolled in PCG 001-09. Acute toxicities with the two techniques were compared using ?2 tests, and the cumulative incidence methods for late toxicity. Multivariable analyses (MVAs) for acute toxicity were performed using logistic regression, and cox proportional hazards models for late toxicity. Results:Patients were treated using PS/US (n?=?1105) or PBS (n?=?238). Acute grade ?2 GI toxicity in PBS did not significantly differ from that with PS/US (2.9% and 2.1%, respectively; P?=?0.47). Acute grade ?2?GU toxicity was significantly higher with PBS (21.9% and 15.1%; P?<?0.01). In MVA, PBS was significantly associated with increased acute grade ?2?GU toxicity (RR?=?1.57, p?<?0.001). Late grade ?2?GI and GU toxicities did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions:This is the first multi-institutional comparative effectiveness evaluation of PBT techniques in PC. Differences in acute GU toxicity warrant further evaluation, and highlight the urgent need for prospective data using PBT.
| S-EPMC6804653 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The dose uniformity and penumbra in the treatment field are important factors in radiotherapy, which affects the outcomes of radiotherapy. In this study, the integrated depth-dose-distributions (IDDDs) of 190 MeV/u and 260 MeV/u carbon beams in the active spot-scanning delivery system were measured and calculated by FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation based on the Heavy Ion Medical Machine (HIMM). Considering the dose distributions caused by secondary particles and scattering, we also used different types of pencil beam (PB) models to fit and compare the spatial distributions of PB. We superposed a bunch of PB to form a 20×20 cm2 treatment field with the double Gaussian and double Gaussian logistic beam models and calculated the influence of beam delivery error on the field flatness and penumbra, respectively. The simulated IDDDs showed good agreement with the measured values. The triple Gaussian and double Gaussian logistic beam models have good fitness to the simulated dose distributions. There are different influences on dose uniformity and penumbra resulting from beam uncertainties. These results would be helpful for understanding carbon ion therapy, and physical therapists are more familiar with beam characteristics for active scanning therapy, which provides a reference for commissioning and optimization of treatment plans in radiotherapy.
| S-EPMC8016259 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy offers dosimetric advantages for several treatment sites, including head and neck (H&N). However, to achieve the optimal target coverage and robustness, these plans can be complex and time consuming to develop and optimize. Automating the treatment planning process can ensure a high-quality and standardized plan, reduce burden to the planner, and decrease time-to-treatment. We utilized in-house scripting to automate a four-field multi-field optimization (MFO) H&N planning technique.Methods and materialsTen bilateral H&N patients were planned in RayStation v6 with a four-field modified-X beam configuration using MFO planning. Automation included creation of avoidance structures to control spot placement and development of standardized beams, PBS spot settings, robust optimization objectives, and patient-specific predicted planning constraints. Each patient was planned both with and without automation to evaluate differences in planning time, perceived effort and plan quality, plan robustness, and OAR sparing.ResultsOn average, scripted plans required 3.2 h, compared to 4.3 h without the script. There was no difference in target coverage or plan robustness with or without automation. Automation significantly reduced mean dose to the oral cavity, parotids, esophagus, trachea, and larynx. Perceived effort was scaled from 1 (minimum effort) to 100 (maximum effort), and automation reduced perceived effort by 42% (p < 0.05). Two non-scripted plans required re-planning due to errors.ConclusionsAutomation of this multi-beam, the MFO proton planning process reduced planning time and improved OAR sparing compared to the same planning process without scripting. Scripting generation of complex structures and planning objectives reduced burden on the planner. With most current treatment planning software, this automation is simple to implement and can standardize quality of care across all treatment planners.
| S-EPMC8833278 | biostudies-literature