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Virtual simulation in patients with breast cancer
A Buchali1, D Geismar, M Hinkelbein
1Klinik für Strahlentherapie, Ruppiner Kliniken GmbH, Neuruppin, Germany.
Summary
Virtual simulation is a feasible and effective tool for breast cancer radiotherapy planning. It significantly reduces planning time for patients and medical staff while maintaining image quality and treatment precision.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiation Oncology
- Radiotherapy Technology
Background:
- Assessing the feasibility and effectiveness of virtual simulation for breast radiotherapy.
- Evaluating virtual simulation as an alternative to conventional computed tomography (CT)-based planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of virtual simulation versus conventional CT-based planning for breast irradiation.
- To determine if virtual simulation improves efficiency and patient experience.
Main Methods:
- Prospective randomized study of 23 patients undergoing tangential breast irradiation.
- Group A: Conventional CT-based planning; Group B: Virtual simulation planning.
- Comparison of time expenditure, image quality, and setup accuracy between the two groups.
Main Results:
- Virtual simulation was feasible for all patients.
- Significant reduction in planning time for technicians (45.0 to 16.5 min) and physicians (55.0 to 32.0 min).
- Reduced patient treatment planning time (45.0 min in 2 sessions to 16.5 min in 1 session) with comparable image quality and setup corrections.
Conclusions:
- Virtual simulation is a viable tool for tangential breast irradiation planning.
- Virtual simulation offers superior precision in patient marking, reference image quality, and reduced time expenditure for patients and staff compared to conventional methods.