Assessment of Knowledge-Based Planning for Prostate Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy

Purpose: To assess the performance of a proton-specific knowledge based planning (KBPP) model in creation of robustly optimized intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plans for treatment of patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: Forty-five patients with localized prostate cancer, who had previously been treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy, were selected and replanned with robustly optimized IMPT. A KBPP model was generated from the results of 30 of the patients, and the remaining 15 patient results were used for validation. The KBPP model quality and accuracy were evaluated with the model-provided organ-at-risk regression plots and metrics. The KBPP quality was also assessed through comparison of expert and KBPP-generated IMPT plans for target coverage and organ-at-risk sparing. Results: The resulting R (2) (mean ± SD, 0.87 ± 0.07) between dosimetric and geometric features, as well as the χ(2) test (1.17 ± 0.07) between the original and estimated data, showed the model had good quality. All the KBPP plans were clinically acceptable. Compared with the expert plans, the KBPP plans had marginally higher dose-volume indices for the rectum V65Gy (0.8% ± 2.94%), but delivered a lower dose to the bladder (-1.06% ± 2.9% for bladder V65Gy). In addition, KBPP plans achieved lower hotspot (-0.67Gy ± 2.17Gy) and lower integral dose (-0.09Gy ± 0.3Gy) than the expert plans did. Moreover, the KBPP generated better plans that demonstrated slightly greater clinical target volume V95 (0.1% ± 0.68%) and lower homogeneity index (-1.13 ± 2.34). Conclusions: The results demonstrated that robustly optimized IMPT plans created by the KBPP model are of high quality and are comparable to expert plans. Furthermore, the KBPP model can generate more-robust and more-homogenous plans compared with those of expert plans. More studies need to be done for the validation of the proton KBPP model at more-complicated treatment sites

Protocols for conducting dolphin capture-release health assessment studies

Marine mammals, such as dolphins, can serve as key indicator species in coastal areas by reflecting the effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors. As such they are often considered sentinels of environmental and ecosystem health (Bossart 2006; Wells et al. 2004; Fair and Becker 2000). The bottlenose dolphin is an apex predator and a key component of many estuarine environments in the southeastern United States (Woodward-Clyde Consultants 1994; SCDNR 2005). Health assessments of dolphins are especially critical in areas where populations are depleted, show signs of epidemic disease and/or high mortality and/or where habitat is being altered or impacted by human activities. Recent assessments of environmental conditions in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida (IRL) and the estuarine waters surrounding Charleston, South Carolina (CHS) highlight the need for studies of the health of local bottlenose dolphins. While the condition of southeastern estuaries was rated as fair in the National Coastal Condition Report (U.S. EPA 2001), it was noted that the IRL was characterized by poorer than expected benthic communities, significant sediment toxicity and increased nutrient concentrations. Similarly, portions of the CHS estuary have sediment concentrations of aliphatic aromatic hydrocarbons, select inorganic metals, and some persistent pesticides far in excess of reported bioeffect levels (Hyland et al. 1998). Long-term trends in water quality monitoring and recent scientific research suggest that waste load assimilation, non-point source runoff impacts, contaminated sediments, and toxic pollutants are key issues in the CHS estuary system. Several ‘hot spots’ with high levels of heavy metals and organic compounds have been identified (Van Dolah et al. 2004). High concentrations of anthropogenic trace metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) and pesticides have been found in the sediments of Charleston Harbor, as well as the Ashley and Cooper Rivers (Long et al. 1998). Two superfund sites are located within the CHS estuary and the key contaminants of concern associated with these sites are: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), lead, chromium, copper, arsenic, zinc and dioxin. Concerns related to the overall health of IRL dolphins and dermatologic disease observed in many dolphins in the area (Bossart et al. 2003) initiated an investigation of potential factors which may have impacted dolphin health. From May-August 2001, 35 bottlenose dolphins died in the IRL during an unusual mortality event (MMC 2003). Many of these dolphins were diagnosed with a variety of skin lesions including proliferative ulcerative dermatitis due to protozoa and fungi, dolphin pox and a vesicular dermatopathy of unknown etiology (Bossart et al. 2003). Multiple species from fish to dolphins in the IRL system have exhibited skin lesions of various known and unknown etiologies (Kane et al. 2000; Bossart et al. 2003; Reif et al. 2006). On-going photo-identification (photo-ID) studies have documented skin diseases in IRL dolphins (Mazzoil et al. 2005). In addition, up to 70% of green sea turtles in the IRL exhibit fibropapillomas, with the highest rates of occurrence being seen in turtles from the southern IRL (Hirama 2001)

Effects of model size and composition on quality of head‐and‐neck knowledge‐based plans

Abstract Purpose Knowledge‐based planning (KBP) aims to automate and standardize treatment planning. New KBP users are faced with many questions: How much does model size matter, and are multiple models needed to accommodate specific physician preferences? In this study, six head‐and‐neck KBP models were trained to address these questions. Methods The six models differed in training size and plan composition: The KBP Full ( n  = 203 plans), KBP 101 ( n  = 101), KBP 50 ( n  = 50), and KBP 25 ( n  = 25) were trained with plans from two head‐and‐neck physicians. KBP A and KBP B each contained n  = 101 plans from only one physician, respectively. An independent set of 39 patients treated to 6000–7000 cGy by a third physician was re‐planned with all KBP models for validation. Standard head‐and‐neck dosimetric parameters were used to compare resulting plans. KBP Full plans were compared to the clinical plans to evaluate overall model quality. Additionally, clinical and KBP Full plans were presented to another physician for blind review. Dosimetric comparison of KBP Full against KBP 101 , KBP 50 , and KBP 25 investigated the effect of model size. Finally, KBP A versus KBP B tested whether training KBP models on plans from one physician only influences the resulting output. Dosimetric differences were tested for significance using a paired t ‐test ( p  < 0.05). Results Compared to manual plans, KBP Full significantly increased PTV Low D95% and left parotid mean dose but decreased dose cochlea, constrictors, and larynx. The physician preferred the KBP Full plan over the manual plan in 20/39 cases. Dosimetric differences between KBP Full , KBP 101 , KBP 50 , and KBP 25 plans did not exceed 187 cGy on aggregate, except for the cochlea. Further, average differences between KBP A and KBP B were below 110 cGy. Conclusions Overall, all models were shown to produce high‐quality plans. Differences between model outputs were small compared to the prescription. This indicates only small improvements when increasing model size and minimal influence of the physician when choosing treatment plans for training head‐and‐neck KBP models

Dose-Painting Linear Accelerator Radiosurgery of Glomus Jugulare With Dosimetric Comparison to Gamma Knife

Objectives In this study, we outline our rationale for delivering a dose of ≥15 Gy in stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of glomus jugulare tumor (GJT) while ensuring the avoidance of complications associated with doses >13 Gy to the facial nerve. To avoid such complications, we initially utilized the Gamma Knife Perfexion (GK) system (Elekta Instrument AB, Stockholm, Sweden) at our institution but encountered challenges related to lengthy treatment times and difficulty in sculpting doses to minimize doses to spare the facial nerve. As a potential solution, we propose the use of HyperArc (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA), a newly developed automated delivery platform for linear accelerator (LINAC)-based SRS. HyperArc offers the potential for faster treatment and more complex shaping of the radiotherapy dose with multiple arcs and multi-leaf collimators. Methods We retrospectively reviewed nine cases of patients with GJT treated with HyperArc. Patients’ demographic and treatment data were collected. Additionally, simulated GK treatment plans were created and compared with HyperArc plans to assess time savings, PTV coverage, and plan quality. Results One male and eight female patients, with a mean age of 63.9 years, were included. Treatments were delivered on average in 29 minutes, achieving 95-100% of the tumor while limiting the facial nerve to <13 Gy. Treatments replanned using our GK system could achieve only 92-99% tumor coverage while respecting facial nerve constraints, with average treatment times of 180 minutes. Comparable plan quality parameters were attained with both modalities. Conclusions The HyperArc system provides a qualitatively satisfactory and rapid treatment delivery of a highly sculpted radiotherapy dose to maximize tumor coverage and minimize facial nerve complications

Assessment of online adaptive MR-guided stereotactic body radiotherapy of liver cancers

[Display omitted] •MRI provides superior visualization of abdominal anatomy compared to CBCT.•MRgRT plan adaptation mitigates organ motion and provides superior dosimetry.•Several patients had meaningful reductions in OAR violations with online adaptation.•Not all liver SBRT patients materially benefit from online adaptation.•Higher plan quality may permit safe dose escalation without compromising quality. Online Adaptive Radiotherapy (ART) with daily MR-imaging has the potential to improve dosimetric accuracy by accounting for inter-fractional anatomical changes. This study provides an assessment for the feasibility and potential benefits of online adaptive MRI-Guided Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) for treatment of liver cancer. Ten patients with liver cancer treated with MR-Guided SBRT were included. Prescription doses ranged between 27 and 50 Gy in 3–5 fx. All SBRT fractions employed daily MR-guided setup while utilizing cine-MR gating. Organs-at-risk (OARs) included duodenum, bowel, stomach, kidneys and spinal cord. Daily MRIs and contours were utilized to create each adapted plan. Adapted plans used the beam-parameters and optimization-objectives from the initial plan. Planning target volume (PTV) coverage and OAR constraints were used to compare non-adaptive and adaptive plans. PTV coverage for non-adapted treatment plans was below the prescribed coverage for 32/47 fractions (68%), with 11 fractions failing by more than 10%. All 47 adapted fractions met prescribed coverage. OAR constraint violations were also compared for several organs. The duodenum exceeded tolerance for 5/23 non-adapted and 0/23 for adapted fractions. The bowel exceeded tolerance for 5/34 non-adaptive and 1/34 adaptive fractions. The stomach exceeded tolerance for 4/19 non-adapted and 1/19 for adaptive fractions. Accumulated dose volume histograms were also generated for each patient. Online adaptive MR-Guided SBRT of liver cancer using daily re-optimization resulted in better target conformality, coverage and OAR sparing compared with non-adaptive SBRT. Daily adaptive planning may allow for PTV dose escalation without compromising OAR sparing

Radiation therapy for stereotactic body radiation therapy in spine tumors: linac or robotic?

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is used for spine treatments as it precisely delivers high radiation dose to tumors in close proximity to organs-at-risk (OARs). The goal of this work is to evaluate dosimetric properties of SBRT for spinal treatments with linear accelerators and CyberKnife (CK). Materials and methods: Plans of 27 patients, treated with CK for spine tumors, were also retrospectively optimized for linac-based (LB) intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). One nine-field IMRT plan and five VMAT plans were generated for each patient. The LB target volumes were uniformly expanded by 0.1 cm to accommodate for the uncertainty in patient positioning. All plans were optimized to cover 90% of the target volumes with a prescription dose of 27 Gy in three fractions. If dose constraints to OARs were not met, the prescription dose was decreased to 24 Gy. Target dose conformity and falloff were evaluated with Paddick's conformity (CI) and gradient (GI) indices. Results: PTV expansion resulted in a 31.5% volume increase in the LB plans. The three full-arcs VMAT (VMAT_3full) plans resulted in the best average CI(0.820) compared to CK(0.758) with worst average from one half-arcs VMAT (VMAT_1half) plans (0.747). Dose falloff was also superior with the VMAT_3full plans with an average GI value of 3.596, in comparison to CK(3.786) and IMRT(4.447). In 6 cases CK plans were unable to meet OAR constraints and the prescription dose was decreased to 24 Gy, compared to only 2 for VMAT_3full. Conclusion: Regardless of the larger target volumes, LB plans were comparable to CK plans. Conformity of target doses of the VMAT_3full plans were better than CK in all cases and dose fall-off was better 23 of 27 plans. Dose to OARs were lower for CK, but constraints met for all plans. The use of VMAT would reduce the treatment time

Data for optimizing Gamma Knife radiosurgery using the shot within shot technique

The tables included in this article will allow the user to implement shot within shot optimization for Gamma Knife radiosurgery planning and delivery. The method is intended to reduce treatment time when treating small to medium sized brain metastasis. The tables were previously developed by extracting profiles from Gamma Plan for three collimator settings and modeling their behavior when combined or prescribed at different isodose lines. For a given target size, the tables represent the optimal selection of shot weighting and prescription isodose line to reduce beam on time while maintaining an acceptable dose gradient. The method was recently validated in a large patient cohort and the data is this study is related to the research article titled “Clinical evaluation of shot within shot optimization for Gamma Knife radiosurgery planning and delivery” (Johnson et al., in press)

Clinical Evaluation of Shot-Within-Shot Optimization for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Planning and Delivery

Shot-within-shot (SWS) optimization is a new planning technique that relies on various combinations of shot weighting and prescription isodose line (IDL) to reduce beam-on time. The method differs from other planning techniques that incorporate mixed collimation, multiple stereotactic coordinates, and traditionally low prescription IDLs (<60%). In this work, we evaluate the percentage of brain metastasis for which the method can be applied, the magnitude of the resultant time savings, and the possible tradeoffs in plan quality. A retrospective analysis was performed on 75 patients treated for 241 metastatic lesions in the brain. For each lesion, the original planning metrics related to target coverage, conformity, gradient, and beam-on time were recorded. A subset of lesions were selected for replanning using the SWS technique based on size, shape, and proximity to critical structures. Two replans were done, a reference plan was prescribed at the 50% IDL, and an optimized plan was prescribed at an IDL typically >50%. Planning metrics were then compared among the original plan and the 2 replans. More than a third (39%) of the brain metastases were eligible for the SWS technique. For these lesions, the differences between the original plan and reference SWS plan were as follows: ΔV12Gy 50% in 20% of cases (ΔTmax = 70%). This work demonstrates clinically that optimization using the shot-within-shot technique can reduce beam-on time without degrading treatment plan quality