The impact of 3-D radiotherapy planning after a pneumonectomy compared to a conventional treatment set-up.
Three-dimensional radiotherapy planning (3-D RTP) is becoming more available in clinical practice, although so far there is little data showing its clinical advantage. The goal of this study was to compare 3-D RTP and dose delivery with conventional treatment planning in pneumonected lung cancer patients, receiving postoperative irradiation. Adjuvant radiotherapy in 20 pneumonected patients was planned with a 3-D system and patients were irradiated according to this plan. The resulting dose distribution was compared with the combination of a simulator and 2-D planned treatment to the same target volume. Dose volume histograms of the target, the lung and the heart of both treatment plans were analysed. A biophysical model was added to estimate the differences in the biological effect. 3-D RTP significantly reduced the mean dose to the lung in 14/20 patients and to the heart in 20/20 patients. The mean dose delivered to the target was equal in both planning methods. The early clinical results do not differ from published results in postoperatively treated lung cancer patients.
Schraube
P
P
Department of Radiotherapy, University Heidelberg, Germany.
von Kampen
M
M
Oetzel
D
D
Sroka
G
G
Wannenmacher
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006283:Health Physics; D006321:Heart / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000528:radiation effects; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D011881:Radiotherapy, Computer-Assisted; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed