scholarly journals New dosimetric guidelines for linear Boltzmann transport equations through comparative evaluation of stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung treatment planning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Webster ◽  
Sean Tanny ◽  
Neil Joyce ◽  
Amy Herman ◽  
Yuhchyau Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Treatment Planning ◽  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy ◽  
Transport Equations ◽  
Boltzmann Transport ◽  
Stereotactic Body Radiation

Monte Carlo evaluation of target dose coverage in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy with flattening filter-free beams

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Oleg N. Vassiliev ◽  
Christine B. Peterson ◽  
Joe Y. Chang ◽  
Radhe Mohan
Keyword(s):  
Monte Carlo ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Treatment Planning ◽  
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy ◽  
Target Coverage ◽  
Tumour Control ◽  
Stereotactic Body Radiation ◽  
Lung Sbrt ◽  
Flattening Filter Free ◽  
Flattening Filter

Abstract Aim: Previous studies showed that replacing conventional flattened beams (FF) with flattening filter-free (FFF) beams improves the therapeutic ratio in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), but these findings could have been impacted by dose calculation uncertainties caused by the heterogeneity of the thoracic anatomy and by respiratory motion, which were particularly high for target coverage. In this study, we minimised such uncertainties by calculating doses using high-spatial-resolution Monte Carlo and four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) images. We aimed to evaluate more reliably the benefits of using FFF beams for lung SBRT. Materials and methods: For a cohort of 15 patients with early-stage lung cancer that we investigated in a previous treatment planning study, we recalculated dose distributions with Monte Carlo using 4DCT images. This included 15 FF and 15 FFF treatment plans. Results: Compared to Monte Carlo, the treatment planning system (TPS) over-predicted doses in low-dose regions of the planning target volume (PTV). For most patients, replacing FF beams with FFF beams improved target coverage, tumour control, and uncomplicated tumour control probabilities. Conclusions: Monte Carlo tends to reveal deficiencies in target coverage compared to coverage predicted by the TPS. Our data support previously reported benefits of using FFF beams for lung SBRT.

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