Algorithm for an automatic treatment planning system using a single-arc VMAT for prostate cancer.

Area of Science:

• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Cancer Treatment

Background:

• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning shows significant variability due to manual optimization.
• Existing automatic toolkits for VMAT in prostate cancer often require multiple arcs, complicating clinical implementation.
• Single-arc VMAT is preferred for prostate cancer to manage intrafraction motion and improve accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automatic treatment planning system utilizing a single arc for prostate cancer VMAT.
• To enhance efficiency and reduce plan quality variations in radiation therapy.
• To ensure accurate dose delivery for prostate cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• A novel algorithm was designed for the Monaco treatment planning system to generate single-arc VMAT plans.
• The system optimizes plans by first determining cost function parameters and then iterating calculations until dose indices are met.
• Plan quality was evaluated by comparing automated plans against manually generated plans.

Main Results:

• The automatic system successfully generated single-arc VMAT plans for all patients within a few iterations.
• No statistically significant differences in plan quality were observed between automatic and manual planning for targets and organs at risk.
• The system required minimal human input, primarily initial template setup and initiation.

Conclusions:

• The developed automatic single-arc VMAT planning system is clinically suitable for prostate cancer.
• This automated approach significantly improves efficiency and resource utilization in treatment planning.
• The system consistently delivers high-quality dose distributions, reducing inter-planner variability.