A 3D-printed phantom for stereotactic body radiation therapy simulation

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate radiation delivery in lung cancer treatment requires precise tumor targeting.
• Minimizing radiation dose to healthy tissues necessitates reducing irradiation field margins.
• Tumor motion during radiation therapy introduces uncertainty in treatment accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel 3D-printed phantom for simulating lung tumor and thoracic motion.
• To assess the accuracy of a robotic system in replicating tumor movement during simulated breathing.
• To evaluate the phantom's utility for radiotherapy training and dosimetry measurements.

Main Methods:

• A 3D-printed phantom simulating thoracic and lung tumor movement was developed.
• A miniature Delta robot arm controlled tumor displacement up to 20 mm.
• Simulated breathing movements (12 mm Anterior-Posterior) were performed to test tracking accuracy.

Main Results:

• The robotic system achieved control errors within 10% during simulated thoracic motion.
• Average tracking errors for the simulated lung tumor were consistently below 1.1 mm.
• The 3D-printed phantom demonstrated reliable simulation capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D-printed phantom with a robotic arm offers a reliable tool for lung cancer radiotherapy.
• This phantom is suitable for pre-treatment training and dosimetry verification, particularly for Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT).
• The system enhances precision in radiation delivery, crucial for minimizing off-target dose.