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Published on: December 28, 2017
Heart-sparing volumetric modulated arc therapy for whole lung irradiation
Alexandros Papachristofilou1, Anna-Lena Hottinger2, Oliver Weinhold2
1Clinic of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, 4031, Basel, Switzerland. alexandros.papachristofilou@usb.ch.
Purpose:
Whole lung irradiation (WLI) is indicated for subgroups of patients with lung metastases from Wilms' tumor (nephroblastoma). WLI has traditionally been performed with an anterior/posterior field arrangement with poor potential for heart sparing; thus, new techniques are desirable to achieve a lower dose to the heart.
Materials And Methods:
We utilized volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for WLI with 18 Gy in a patient with metastatic nephroblastoma. The planning results were compared against a three-dimensional (3D) conformal plan.
Results:
VMAT resulted in adequate target volume coverage with the prescribed dose. Mean heart dose was 10.2 Gy. The dose to organs at risk (OAR) was generally more favorable with VMAT when compared with a 3D-conformal radiotherapy plan.
Discussion:
WLI with VMAT provides superior sparing of OARs and especially a considerably lower dose to the heart.
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