Clinical Implications of Geometric and Dosimetric Uncertainties of Inter- and Intra-Fractional Movement during Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Breast Cancer Patients

Abstract

With the introduction of modern sophisticated radiotherapy (RT) techniques, the significance of accuracy has increased considerably. This study evaluated the necessity of pre-treatment and intra-fractional cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) by analyzing inter- and intra-fractional CBCT images of breast cancer patients receiving RT. From 57 patients, 1206 pre-treatment CBCT and 1067 intra-fractional CBCT images were collected. Geometric movements of patients were measured quantitively in both inter- and intra-fractional CBCT, and changes in dosimetric parameters were evaluated in selected patients with extreme intra-fractional movement. For right-sided breast cancer patients, left-sided breast cancer patients treated using deep-inspiration breath hold (DIBH), and left-sided breast cancer patients treated using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), median inter-fractional deviations were 0.53 (range 0.06–2.98) cm, 0.66 (range 0.08–4.41) cm, and 0.69 (range 0.04–3.80) cm, and median intra-fractional deviations were 0.14 (range 0.00–0.62) cm, 0.23 (range 0.02–0.96) cm, and 0.24 (0.00–1.15) cm, respectively. Modified plans reflecting large changes in intra-fractional position in 10 selected cases revealed insufficient target coverage in seven cases and more than 20-fold increase in the volume of heart receiving at least 25 Gy in two cases. Intra-fractional verification, as well as pre-treatment verification, might be considered in patients using DIBH or CPAP.