Practice Patterns of Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy: A Clinical Practice Survey

Area of Science:

• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Spatially fractionated radiation therapy (SFRT) is increasingly adopted for bulky advanced tumors.
• Clinical practice patterns for SFRT, including GRID and Lattice radiation therapy (LRT), require detailed understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine current practice patterns of GRID and Lattice radiation therapy (LRT)-based SFRT.
• To identify variations in patient selection, dosing, planning, and technique implementation.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to radiation oncologists and physicists to gather data on SFRT practices.
• Data included patient selection, treatment parameters, combination therapies, and technical implementation.
• Descriptive statistics and permutation tests were used for data analysis.

Main Results:

• SFRT is considered a standard-of-care option by most radiation oncologists globally for bulky/advanced tumors.
• Commonly treated sites include head and neck, lung cancer, and sarcoma, for both palliative and curative intents.
• Significant variability exists in SFRT-conventional external beam radiation therapy (cERT) combination/sequencing and the clinical utilization of dosimetric parameters, with differences noted between GRID and LRT techniques.

Conclusions:

• SFRT has established itself as a clinical practice for advanced/bulky tumors with consistent major treatment approaches.
• Areas requiring attention include standardization of SFRT-cERT combinations/sequencing and clinical use of dosimetric parameters.
• Further research and targeted education are recommended to address identified inconsistencies and knowledge gaps.