title: Tumour control probability: a formulation applicable to any temporal protocol of dose delivery.
abstract: An analytic expression for the tumour control probability (TCP), valid for any temporal distribution of dose, is discussed. The TCP model, derived using the theory of birth-and-death stochastic processes, generalizes several results previously obtained. The TCP equation is [equation: see text] where S(t) is the survival probability at time t of the n clonogenic tumour cells initially present (at t = 0), and b and d are, respectively, the birth and death rates of these cells. Equivalently, b = 0.693/Tpot and d/b is the cell loss factor of the tumour. In this expression t refers to any time during or after the treatment; typically, one would take for t the end of the treatment period or the expected remaining life span of the patient. This model, which provides a comprehensive framework for predicting TCP, can be used predictively, or--when clinical data are available for one particular treatment modality (e.g. fractionated radiotherapy)--to obtain TCP-equivalent regimens for other modalities (e.g. low dose-rate treatments).
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaider
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Minerbo
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011336:Probability; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D015996:Survival Rate