MLC tracking for lung SABR is feasible, efficient and delivers high-precision target dose and lower normal tissue dose.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this work is to present the clinical experience from the first-in-human trial of real-time tumor targeting via MLC tracking for stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) of lung lesions. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Seventeen patients with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or lung metastases were included in a study of electromagnetic transponder-guided MLC tracking for SABR (NCT02514512). Patients had electromagnetic transponders inserted near the tumor. An MLC tracking SABR plan was generated with planning target volume (PTV) expanded 5 mm from the end-exhale gross tumor volume (GTV). A clinically approved comparator plan was generated with PTV expanded 5 mm from a 4DCT-derived internal target volume (ITV). Treatment was delivered using a standard linear accelerator to continuously adapt the MLC based on transponder motion. Treated volumes and reconstructed delivered dose were compared between MLC tracking and comparator ITV-based treatment. RESULTS: All seventeen patients were successfully treated with MLC tracking (70 successful fractions). MLC tracking treatment delivery time averaged 8 minutes. The time from the start of CBCT to the end of treatment averaged 22 minutes. The MLC tracking PTV for 16/17 patients was smaller than the ITV-based PTV (range -1.6% to 44% reduction, or -0.6 to 18 cc). Reductions in mean lung dose (27 cGy) and V20Gy (50 cc) were statistically significant (p < 0.02). Reconstruction of treatment doses confirmed a statistically significant improvement in delivered GTV D98% (p < 0.05) from planned dose compared with the ITV-based plans. CONCLUSION: The first treatments with lung MLC tracking have been successfully performed in seventeen SABR patients. MLC tracking for lung SABR is feasible, efficient and delivers high-precision target dose and lower normal tissue dose.

Experience with an abdominal compression band for radiotherapy of upper abdominal tumours.

INTRODUCTION: Radiotherapy outcomes are influenced by treatment delivery geometric accuracy and organ-at-risk dose. The location of abdominal structures such as the liver, kidneys and tumour volumes can be strongly influenced by respiratory motion. This increases geometric uncertainty and dose to organs-at-risk. One common method of minimising respiratory motion is abdominal compression (AC). METHODS: Fifteen patients being treated for radiotherapy to upper abdominal tumours were analysed. Each patient underwent 2 four-dimensional computerised tomography (4D-CT) scans, one with and one without AC with a pneumatic compression belt. Liver and kidney positions were measured on the 4DCT scans at the peak inspiratory and expiratory respiratory phases. The patient received radiation therapy treatment planned on the CT data set with the technique (compression or no compression) that provided the least respiratory motion. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant motion difference over the sample population with AC for the kidneys or liver. Of the 14 evaluable patients, 4, 6 and 6 saw reduction in superior-inferior motion for left kidney, right kidney and liver respectively. The remainder either had negligible (<2 mm) or increase in motion with AC. For anterior-posterior motion, 2, 2 and 1 saw a reduction for left-kidney, right-kidney and liver respectively. CONCLUSION: AC through the use of a pneumatic compression belt was found to result in inconsistent reduction in kidney and liver respiratory motion. It is recommended that the effect of AC is evaluated on a per-patient basis.