Prospects for daily online adaptive radiotherapy via ethos for prostate cancer patients without nodal involvement using unedited CBCT auto‐segmentation

Abstract

Implementing new online adaptive radiation therapy technologies is challenging because extra clinical resources are required particularly expert contour review. Here, we provide the first assessment of Varian's Ethos™ adaptive platform for prostate cancer using no manual edits after auto-segmentation to minimize this impact on clinical efficiency. Methods: Twenty-five prostate patients previously treated at our clinic were re-planned using an Ethos™ emulator. Clinical target volumes (CTV) included intact prostate and proximal seminal vesicles. The following clinical margins were used: 3 mm posterior, 5 mm left/right/anterior, and 7 mm superior/inferior. Adapted plans were calculated for 10 fractions per patient using Ethos's autosegmentation and auto-planning workflow without manual contouring edits. Doses and auto-segmented structures were exported to our clinical treatment planning system where contours were modified as needed for all 250 CTVs and organs-at-risk. Dose metrics from adapted plans were compared to unadapted plans to evaluate CTV and OAR dose changes. Results: Overall 96% of fractions required auto-segmentation edits, although corrections were generally minor (<10% of the volume for 70% of CTVs, 88% of bladders, and 90% of rectums). However, for one patient the autosegmented CTV failed to include the superior portion of prostate that extended into the bladder at all 10 fractions resulting in under-contouring of the CTV by 31.3% ± 6.7%. For the 24 patients with minor auto-segmentation corrections, adaptation improved CTV D98% by 2.9% ± 5.3%. For non-adapted fractions where bladder or rectum V90% exceeded clinical thresholds, adaptation reduced them by 13.1% ± 1.0% and 6.5% ± 7.3%, respectively. Conclusion: For most patients, Ethos's online adaptive radiation therapy workflow improved CTV D98% and reduced normal tissue dose when structures would otherwise exceed clinical thresholds, even without time-consuming manual edits. However, for one in 25 patients, large contour edits were required and thus scrutiny of the daily auto-segmentation is necessary and not all patients will be good candidates for adaptation.

Cone-beam computed tomography-guided online adaptive radiotherapy is feasible for prostate cancer patients

“…Most limitations in the performance of the AI contouring algorithm were seen for patients with air in the rectum or small bowel. However, in this study the influencers required clinically acceptable edits for all fractions, which is in correspondence with the results of earlier studies [18] , [19] , [20] .…”

Cone-beam computed tomography-guided online adaptive radiotherapy is feasible for prostate cancer patients

“…Most limitations in the performance of the AI contouring algorithm were seen for patients with air in the rectum or small bowel. However, in this study the influencers required clinically acceptable edits for all fractions, which is in correspondence with the results of earlier studies [18] , [19] , [20] .…”

Robustness and reproducibility of an artificial intelligence‐assisted online segmentation and adaptive planning process for online adaptive radiation therapy

“…Still, overall, the repeatability of adaptive planning was high as all constraints could be met despite the large deformation in the target and surrounding organs at risk. Similar results have been shown in clinical data in the pelvis and other body sites 4–6 …”

Impact of Using Unedited CT-Based DIR-Propagated Autocontours on Online ART for Pancreatic SBRT

“…For instance, similar trends were already observed in the work of Moazzezi et al. about online ART using unedited contours in prostate patients using the Ethos system ( 32 ). However, the complexity of the procedure might increase as the amount of elements involved also increases, e.g.…”

Cone-beam computed tomography-guided online adaptive radiotherapy is feasible for prostate cancer patients

“…Most limitations in the performance of the AI contouring algorithm were seen for patients with air in the rectum or small bowel. However, in this study the influencers required clinically acceptable edits for all fractions, which is in correspondence with the results of earlier studies [18] , [19] , [20] .…”

Robustness and reproducibility of an artificial intelligence‐assisted online segmentation and adaptive planning process for online adaptive radiation therapy

“…Still, overall, the repeatability of adaptive planning was high as all constraints could be met despite the large deformation in the target and surrounding organs at risk. Similar results have been shown in clinical data in the pelvis and other body sites 4–6 …”

Impact of Using Unedited CT-Based DIR-Propagated Autocontours on Online ART for Pancreatic SBRT

“…For instance, similar trends were already observed in the work of Moazzezi et al. about online ART using unedited contours in prostate patients using the Ethos system ( 32 ). However, the complexity of the procedure might increase as the amount of elements involved also increases, e.g.…”

Cone-beam computed tomography-guided online adaptive radiotherapy is feasible for prostate cancer patients

“…Most limitations in the performance of the AI contouring algorithm were seen for patients with air in the rectum or small bowel. However, in this study the influencers required clinically acceptable edits for all fractions, which is in correspondence with the results of earlier studies [18] , [19] , [20] .…”

Robustness and reproducibility of an artificial intelligence‐assisted online segmentation and adaptive planning process for online adaptive radiation therapy

“…Still, overall, the repeatability of adaptive planning was high as all constraints could be met despite the large deformation in the target and surrounding organs at risk. Similar results have been shown in clinical data in the pelvis and other body sites 4–6 …”

Impact of Using Unedited CT-Based DIR-Propagated Autocontours on Online ART for Pancreatic SBRT

“…For instance, similar trends were already observed in the work of Moazzezi et al. about online ART using unedited contours in prostate patients using the Ethos system ( 32 ). However, the complexity of the procedure might increase as the amount of elements involved also increases, e.g.…”