An approach for practical multiobjective IMRT treatment planning.
OBJECTIVE
To introduce and demonstrate a practical multiobjective treatment planning procedure for intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning.


METHODS
The creation of a database of Pareto optimal treatment plans proceeds in two steps. The first step solves an optimization problem that finds a single treatment plan which is close to a set of clinical aspirations. This plan provides an example of what is feasible, and is then used to determine mutually satisfiable hard constraints for the subsequent generation of the plan database. All optimizations are done using linear programming.


RESULTS
The two-step procedure is applied to a brain, a prostate, and a lung case. The plan databases created allow for the selection of a final treatment plan based on the observed tradeoffs between the various organs involved.


CONCLUSIONS
The proposed method reduces the human iteration time common in IMRT treatment planning. Additionally, the database of plans, when properly viewed, allows the decision maker to make an informed final plan selection.
Craft
David
D
Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. dcraft@partners.org
Halabi
Tarek
T
Shih
Helen A
HA
Bortfeld
Thomas
T
D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006393:Hemangiopericytoma / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000379:methods*