title: Utilization of a 3D printer to fabricate boluses used for electron therapy of skin lesions of the eye canthi.
abstract: This work describes the use of 3D printing technology to create individualized boluses for patients treated with electron beam therapy for skin lesions of the eye canthi. It aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of 3D-printed over manually fabricated paraffin boluses. The study involved 11 patients for whom the construction of individual boluses were required. CT scans of the fabricated 3D-printed boluses and paraffin boluses were acquired and superimposed onto patient CT scans to compare their fitting, bolus homogeneity, and underlying dose distribution. To quantify the level of matching, multiple metrics were utilized. Matching Level Index (ML) values ranged from 0 to 100%, where 100% indicated a perfect fit between the reference bolus (planned in treatment planning system) and 3D-printed and paraffin bolus. The average ML (± 1 SD) of the 3D-printed boluses was 95.1 ± 2.1%, compared to 46.0 ± 10.1% for the manually fabricated paraffin bolus. Correspondingly, mean doses were closer to the prescribed doses, and dose spreads were less for the dose distributions from the 3D-printed boluses, as compared to those for the manually fabricated paraffin boluses. It was concluded that 3D-printing technology is a viable method for fabricating boluses for small eye lesions and provides boluses superior to our boluses manually fabricated from paraffin sheets.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, West Pomeranian Oncology Center, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Łukowiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Karolina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jezierska
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, West Pomeranian Oncology Center, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boehlke
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, West Pomeranian Oncology Center, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Marzena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Więcko
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Devices, Samodzielny Publiczny Wojewódzki Szpital Zespolony im. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Łukowiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Podraza
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, West Pomeranian Oncology Center, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Mirosław
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lewocki
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, West Pomeranian Oncology Center, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartłomiej
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Masojć
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, West Pomeranian Oncology Center, Szczecin, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falco
mesh_terms: D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D004583:Electrons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000532:radiotherapy*
keywords: 3D printing; bolus; teleradiotherapy