title: Interior point algorithms: guaranteed optimality for fluence map optimization in IMRT.
abstract: One of the most widely studied problems of the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning problem is the fluence map optimization (FMO) problem, the problem of determining the amount of radiation intensity, or fluence, of each beamlet in each beam. For a given set of beams, the fluences of the beamlets can drastically affect the quality of the treatment plan, and thus it is critical to obtain good fluence maps for radiation delivery. Although several approaches have been shown to yield good solutions to the FMO problem, these solutions are not guaranteed to be optimal. This shortcoming can be attributed to either optimization model complexity or properties of the algorithms used to solve the optimization model. We present a convex FMO formulation and an interior point algorithm that yields an optimal treatment plan in seconds, making it a viable option for clinical applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, ON M5S 3G8, Canada. aleman@mie.utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Dionne M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Aleman
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: H Edwin
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Romeijn
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dempsey
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated / Q000379:methods*