skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Reproducibility of 'Intelligent' Contouring of Gross Tumor Volume in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer on PET/CT Images Using a Standardized Visual Method

Abstract

Purpose: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasingly used for delineating gross tumor volume (GTV) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The methodology for contouring tumor margins remains controversial. We developed a rigorous visual protocol for contouring GTV that uses all available clinical information and studied its reproducibility in patients from a prospective PET/CT planning trial. Methods and Materials: Planning PET/CT scans from 6 consecutive patients were selected. Six 'observers' (two radiation oncologists, two nuclear medicine physicians, and two radiologists) contoured GTVs for each patient using a predefined protocol and subsequently recontoured 2 patients. For the estimated GTVs and axial distances, least-squares means for each observer and for each case were calculated and compared, using the F test and pairwise t-tests. In five cases, tumor margins were also autocontoured using standardized uptake value (SUV) cutoffs of 2.5 and 3.5 and 40% SUV{sub max}. Results: The magnitude of variation between observers was small relative to the mean (coefficient of variation [CV] = 3%), and the total variation (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 3%). For estimation of superior/inferior (SI), left/right (LR), and anterior/posterior (AP) borders of the GTV, differences between observers were also small (AP, CV = 2%, ICC = 0.4%; LR, CVmore » = 6%, ICC = 2%; SI, CV 4%, ICC = 2%). GTVs autocontoured generated using SUV 2.5, 3.5, and 40% SUV{sub max} differed widely in each case. An SUV contour of 2.5 was most closely correlated with the mean GTV defined by the human observers. Conclusions: Observer variation contributed little to total variation in the GTV and axial distances. A visual contouring protocol gave reproducible results for contouring GTV in NSCLC.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]; ;  [3]
  1. Dorset Cancer Centre, Poole Hospital, Poole, Dorset (United Kingdom)
  2. Centre for Molecular Imaging, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne (Australia)
  3. Radiation Therapy Services, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, East Melbourne (Australia)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21436086
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 77; Journal Issue: 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.032; PII: S0360-3016(09)00944-4; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Journal ID: ISSN 0360-3016
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; CAT SCANNING; LUNGS; NEOPLASMS; POSITRON COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY; RADIOTHERAPY; BODY; COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY; DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES; DISEASES; EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY; MEDICINE; NUCLEAR MEDICINE; ORGANS; RADIOLOGY; RESPIRATORY SYSTEM; THERAPY; TOMOGRAPHY

Citation Formats

Bayne, Michael, Hicks, Rodney J, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Everitt, Sarah, and Fimmell, Natalie. Reproducibility of 'Intelligent' Contouring of Gross Tumor Volume in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer on PET/CT Images Using a Standardized Visual Method. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.032.
Bayne, Michael, Hicks, Rodney J, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Everitt, Sarah, & Fimmell, Natalie. Reproducibility of 'Intelligent' Contouring of Gross Tumor Volume in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer on PET/CT Images Using a Standardized Visual Method. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.032
Bayne, Michael, Hicks, Rodney J, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Everitt, Sarah, and Fimmell, Natalie. 2010. "Reproducibility of 'Intelligent' Contouring of Gross Tumor Volume in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer on PET/CT Images Using a Standardized Visual Method". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.032.
@article{osti_21436086,
title = {Reproducibility of 'Intelligent' Contouring of Gross Tumor Volume in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer on PET/CT Images Using a Standardized Visual Method},
author = {Bayne, Michael and Hicks, Rodney J and University of Melbourne, Melbourne and Everitt, Sarah and Fimmell, Natalie},
abstractNote = {Purpose: Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasingly used for delineating gross tumor volume (GTV) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The methodology for contouring tumor margins remains controversial. We developed a rigorous visual protocol for contouring GTV that uses all available clinical information and studied its reproducibility in patients from a prospective PET/CT planning trial. Methods and Materials: Planning PET/CT scans from 6 consecutive patients were selected. Six 'observers' (two radiation oncologists, two nuclear medicine physicians, and two radiologists) contoured GTVs for each patient using a predefined protocol and subsequently recontoured 2 patients. For the estimated GTVs and axial distances, least-squares means for each observer and for each case were calculated and compared, using the F test and pairwise t-tests. In five cases, tumor margins were also autocontoured using standardized uptake value (SUV) cutoffs of 2.5 and 3.5 and 40% SUV{sub max}. Results: The magnitude of variation between observers was small relative to the mean (coefficient of variation [CV] = 3%), and the total variation (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 3%). For estimation of superior/inferior (SI), left/right (LR), and anterior/posterior (AP) borders of the GTV, differences between observers were also small (AP, CV = 2%, ICC = 0.4%; LR, CV = 6%, ICC = 2%; SI, CV 4%, ICC = 2%). GTVs autocontoured generated using SUV 2.5, 3.5, and 40% SUV{sub max} differed widely in each case. An SUV contour of 2.5 was most closely correlated with the mean GTV defined by the human observers. Conclusions: Observer variation contributed little to total variation in the GTV and axial distances. A visual contouring protocol gave reproducible results for contouring GTV in NSCLC.},
doi = {10.1016/j.ijrobp.2009.06.032},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21436086}, journal = {International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics},
issn = {0360-3016},
number = 4,
volume = 77,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Thu Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}