title: Dosimetric evaluation of the impacts of different heterogeneity correction algorithms on target doses in stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung tumors.
abstract: Heterogeneity correction algorithms can have a large impact on the dose distributions of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung tumors. Treatment plans of 20 patients who underwent SBRT for lung tumors with the prescribed dose of 48 Gy in four fractions at the isocenter were reviewed retrospectively and recalculated with different heterogeneity correction algorithms: the pencil beam convolution algorithm with a Batho power-law correction (BPL) in Eclipse, the radiological path length algorithm (RPL), and the X-ray Voxel Monte Carlo algorithm (XVMC) in iPlan. The doses at the periphery (minimum dose and D95) of the planning target volume (PTV) were compared using the same monitor units among the three heterogeneity correction algorithms, and the monitor units were compared between two methods of dose prescription, that is, an isocenter dose prescription (IC prescription) and dose-volume based prescription (D95 prescription). Mean values of the dose at the periphery of the PTV were significantly lower with XVMC than with BPL using the same monitor units (P < 0.001). In addition, under IC prescription using BPL, RPL and XVMC, the ratios of mean values of monitor units were 1, 0.959 and 0.986, respectively. Under D95 prescription, they were 1, 0.937 and 1.088, respectively. These observations indicated that the application of XVMC under D95 prescription results in an increase in the actually delivered dose by 8.8% on average compared with the application of BPL. The appropriateness of switching heterogeneity correction algorithms and dose prescription methods should be carefully validated from a clinical viewpoint.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-applied Therapy, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
authors: Masaru
authors: M
authors: Narabayashi
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Mizowaki
authors: Yukinori
authors: Y
authors: Matsuo
authors: Mitsuhiro
authors: M
authors: Nakamura
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Takayama
authors: Yoshiki
authors: Y
authors: Norihisa
authors: Katsuyuki
authors: K
authors: Sakanaka
authors: Masahiro
authors: M
authors: Hiraoka
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed