Deep Inspiratory Breath-Hold Radiation for Left-Sided Breast Cancer using Novel Frame-based Tactile Feedback

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiotherapy Technology
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Deep inspiratory breath-hold (DIBH) is crucial for minimizing radiation dose to organs at risk.
• Ensuring reproducibility of DIBH positioning is challenging.
• Existing methods for monitoring DIBH may lack sufficient tactile feedback.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel frame system designed for tactile feedback during DIBH.
• To assess the reproducibility of patient positioning using this frame-based system.
• To provide a visual cue for therapists to ensure accurate DIBH.

Main Methods:

• A frame with a graduated pointer and a movable pencil with a colored strip was developed.
• The frame provides individualized tactile feedback based on patient's DIBH.
• The system incorporates a visual cue that appears during DIBH.
• Reproducibility was assessed by measuring separation variations in cone-beam computed tomography scans of 10 patients.

Main Results:

• The frame system successfully provided tactile and visual feedback for DIBH.
• The average variation in patient separation between planning and pretreatment cone-beam computed tomography was 2 mm (95% CI: 1.95-2.05 mm).
• This indicates a high degree of reproducibility in patient positioning.

Conclusions:

• Frame-based tactile feedback is a novel and reproducible technique for DIBH.
• The system enhances the accuracy and consistency of DIBH patient positioning.
• This technology has the potential to improve radiotherapy outcomes by reducing organ-at-risk irradiation.