[Research progress on predicting radiation pneumonia based on four-dimensional computed tomography ventilation...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiation Oncology
• Pulmonary Medicine

Background:

• Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally.
• Radiation pneumonitis is a significant complication of lung cancer radiotherapy.
• Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) offers dynamic lung ventilation data crucial for functional assessment and preventing radiation pneumonitis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically compare functional lung ventilation algorithms derived from 4DCT over the last 15 years.
• To review multimodal approaches for predicting radiation pneumonitis using 4DCT ventilation, dose metrics, and clinical data.
• To summarize current research and future directions for 4DCT in lung cancer radiotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic comparison of 4DCT-based lung ventilation algorithms.
• Review of multimodal strategies for radiation pneumonitis prediction.
• Analysis of clinical value and limitations of different ventilation calculation methods.

Main Results:

• The study provides the first systematic comparison of 4DCT ventilation algorithms.
• It identifies the clinical value and limitations of various methods for lung function assessment.
• It reviews emerging multimodal approaches for radiation pneumonitis prediction.

Conclusions:

• 4DCT-based ventilation imaging holds significant potential for lung cancer radiotherapy.
• Further research is needed to refine algorithms and integrate multimodal data for accurate radiation pneumonitis prediction.
• This review offers insights for clinical practice and future studies in the field.