Effect of CT contrast on volumetric arc therapy planning (RapidArc and helical tomotherapy) for head and neck cancer
- Department of Radiation Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA (United States)
- Department of Radiation Physics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA (United States)
The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effect of intravenous contrast in the dosimetry of helical tomotherapy and RapidArc treatment for head and neck cancer and determine if it is acceptable during the computed tomography (CT) simulation to acquire only CT with contrast for treatment planning of head and neck cancer. Overall, 5 patients with head and neck cancer (4 men and 1 woman) treated on helical tomotherapy were analyzed retrospectively. For each patient, 2 consecutive CT scans were performed. The first CT set was scanned before the contrast injection and secondary study set was scanned 45 seconds after contrast. The 2 CTs were autoregistered using the same Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine coordinates. Tomotherapy and RapidArc plans were generated on 1 CT data set and subsequently copied to the second CT set. Dose calculation was performed, and dose difference was analyzed to evaluate the influence of intravenous contrast media. The dose matrix used for comparison included mean, minimum and maximum doses of planning target volume (PTV), PTV dose coverage, and V{sub 45} {sub Gy}, V{sub 30} {sub Gy}, and V{sub 20} {sub Gy} organ doses. Treatment planning on contrasted images generally showed a lower dose to both organs and target than plans on noncontrasted images. The doses for the points of interest placed in the organs and target rarely changed more than 2% in any patient. In conclusion, treatment planning using a contrasted image had insignificant effect on the dose to the organs and targets. In our opinion, only CT with contrast needs to be acquired during the CT simulation for head and neck cancer. Dose calculations performed on contrasted images can potentially underestimate the delivery dose slightly. However, the errors of planning on a contrasted image should not affect the result in clinically significant way.
- OSTI ID:
- 22462421
- Journal Information:
- Medical Dosimetry, Vol. 40, Issue 1; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0958-3947
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
RapidArc Planning and Delivery in Patients With Locally Advanced Head-and-Neck Cancer Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy
Prospective study evaluating the use of IV contrast on IMRT treatment planning for lung cancer