Open Source 3D Printed Lung Tumor Movement Simulator for Radiotherapy Quality Assurance

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Oncology

Background:

• Lung cancer is a leading cause of death in OECD countries, requiring effective treatments like radiotherapy.
• Radiotherapy for lung cancer faces challenges due to tumor movement during respiration.
• Accurate tumor tracking is crucial to minimize radiation side effects and improve treatment efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a custom electromechanical system for real-time lung tumor tracking.
• To model human lung movement during breathing to inform system design.
• To enhance the precision and safety of lung cancer radiotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Studied the hysteresis loop of human lung movement to derive a characteristic movement equation.
• Designed and implemented a 3D-printed electromechanical system controlled by Arduino and stepper motors.
• Developed a system capable of accurately replicating human breathing trajectories.

Main Results:

• Successfully created a custom electromechanical system that precisely follows lung tumor movement.
• The system accurately mimics the characteristic trajectory of human breathing.
• The developed device demonstrates potential for improving radiotherapy quality assurance.

Conclusions:

• The custom electromechanical system offers a novel solution for tracking moving lung tumors in radiotherapy.
• This technology can aid in verifying individualized radiation treatment plans.
• The system has the potential to significantly improve the quality assurance of lung cancer radiotherapy procedures.