Dosimetric comparison between volumetric-modulated arc therapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy for esophageal cancer:a meta-analysis / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the dosimetric comparison of target volumes and organs at risk (OAR) between volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for esophageal cancer by a meta-analysis.Methods A literature search was performed to collect the clinical studies on dosimetric comparison between VMAT and IMRT.The primary endpoints of interest were dosimetric parameters of target volumes and OAR, number of monitor units (MUs), and treatment time (TT).Results A total of 17 studies involving 323 patients were included in this meta-analysis.When the total dose was>50.4 Gy, VMAT showed significantly lower mean dose (Dmean) of gross tumor volume (GTV) and maximum dose (Dmax) of planning target volume (PTV) than IMRT (P=0.009;P=0.039).There were no significant differences in Dmean, V30, and V40 of the heart, Dmax of the spinal cord, and V5, V10, and Dmean of the lung between VMAT and IMRT (P>0.05).VMAT showed significantly lower V15, V20, and V30 of the lung than IMRT (P=0.001;P=0.000;P=0.023).When the single dose was 1.8 Gy and 2.0 Gy, VMAT showed significantly lower TT (reduced by 323.5 s and 193.7 s) and number of MUs (reduced by 275.4 MU and 134.2 MU) than IMRT (P=0.000 and 0.009;P=0.000 and 0.022).Conclusions VMAT can significantly reduce TT, MUs, irradiation dose to the lung, and the risk of radiation pneumonitis, and improve the utilization rate of equipment.Compared with IMRT, VMAT has no significant advantages in protection of the spinal cord and the heart and dosimetric parameters of target volumes except Dmean of PTV and Dmean and Dmax of GTV when the total dose was ≤50.4 Gy.