Influence of Specific Treatment Parameters on Nontarget and Out-of-Field Doses in a Phantom Model of Prostate SBRT with CyberKnife and TrueBeam

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of a key treatment plan and beam parameters on overall dose distribution and on doses in organs laying in further distance from the target during prostate SBRT. Multiple representative treatment plans (n = 12) for TrueBeam and CyberKnife were prepared and evaluated. Nontarget doses were measured with anionization chamber, in a quasi-humanoid phantom at four sites corresponding to the intestines, right lung, thyroid, and head. The following parameters were modified: radiotherapy technique, presence or not of a flattening filter, degree of modulation, and use or not of jaw tracking function for TrueBeam and beam orientation set-up, optimization techniques, and number of MUs for CyberKnife. After usual optimization doses in intestines (near the target) were 0.73% and 0.76%, in head (farthest from target) 0.05% and 0.19% for TrueBeam and CyberKnife, respectively. For TrueBeam the highest peripheral (head, thyroid, lung) doses occurred for the VMAT with the flattening filter while the lowest for 3DCRT. For CyberKnife the highest doses were for gantry with caudal direction beams blocked (gantry close to OARs) while the lowest was the low modulated VOLO optimization technique. The easiest method to reduce peripheral doses was to combine FFF with jaw tracking and reducing monitor units at TrueBeam and to avoid gantry position close to OARs together with reduction of monitor units at CyberKnife, respectively. The presented strategies allowed to significantly reduce out-of-field and nontarget doses during prostate radiotherapy delivered with TrueBeam and CyberKnife. A different approach was required to reduce peripheral doses because of the difference in dose delivery techniques: non-coplanar using CyberKnife and coplanar using TrueBeam, respectively.

Nontarget and Out-of-Field Doses from Electron Beam Radiotherapy

“…Radiation scatter is an important concern in clinical dosimetry due to the risks it poses to the patient, mainly the potential to induce second cancers [ 1 , 2 ]. Radiation, either primary or Compton electrons, together with secondary photons (bremsstrahlung) from equipment parts or inside the body, are the main source of out-of-field radiation [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. In both slab phantoms and human bodies, the scattered dose is due to radiation produced by the accelerator head and/or applicator, or to the interaction between primary and secondary radiation and the medium [ 6 ].…”

Clinical Efficacy of an Electronic Portal Imaging Device versus a Physical Phantom Tool for Patient-Specific Quality Assurance

“…Radiotherapy is one of the techniques to treat cancer, along with surgery and chemotherapy. Currently, patient-specific radiotherapies, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), are widely used because these techniques have the advantage of a small margin and high treatment performance [1][2][3][4][5]. Performing patientspecific quality assurance (QA) and machine QA are important to improve treatment performance and prevent radiation accidents when treated with such a high dose and precision radiotherapy techniques.…”