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Program Information

Treatment Planning Study of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Left-Sided Breast and Chestwall Cancers

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H Xu

H Xu1*, (1) Department of Radiation Oncology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, (2) Cape Breton Cancer Centre, Sydney, NS

Presentations

SU-E-T-483 Sunday 3:00PM - 6:00PM Room: Exhibit Hall

Purpose: To perform the comparison of dose distributions and dose-volume-histograms generated by VMAT and conventional field-in-field technique for left-sided breast and chestwall cancers; to determine whether VMAT offers more dosimetric benefits than does the field-in-field technique.

Methods: All VMAT and field-in-filed plans were produced in Eclipse(version 10). Five plans were generated for left-sided breast and left-sided chestwall with supraclavicular nodes, respectively. A clockwise arc (CW) and a counter-clockwise arc (CCW) were used with start and stop angles being 310o±10o and 140o±10o. Collimator angles were 30o for CW and 330o for CCW. The conformity index (CI) is the ratio of V95% over PTV. The homogeneity index (HI) is the ratio of the difference between D2% and D98% over the prescribed dose. The V5, as an indicator of low dose bath to organs-at-risk, was used for ipsilateral lung, heart, contralateral lung, and contralateral breast. The V20, as an indicator of radiation pneumonitis, was used for ipsilateral lung.

Results: Breast/chestwall VMAT delivers much higher low dose bath to ipsilateral lung, contralateral lung and contralateral breast/chestwall for both intact breast and chestwall with nodes. V5 for heart is increased in VMAT plans. V20 for ipsilateral lung is lower in VMAT plans. PTV coverage is similar for both techniques. For one particular chestwall patient with supraclavicular and internal mammary nodes, VMAT offers superior dose coverage of PTVs with slightly more low-dose-wash to heart, contralateral lung and contralateral breast.

Conclusion: This study indicates that there is generally no benefit using VMAT for left-sided intact breast, due to large low-dose-bath (5Gy) to normal tissues with insignificant improvement in PTV coverage. Dosimetric benefits will be seen in VMAT plans for some chestwall patients with large size, and/or internal mammary nodes, etc. Whether a chestwall patient is treated with VMAT should be carefully analyzed on an individual basis.


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