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Enhancing Treatment Efficiency: Investigating the Optimal Segment Width in Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for
Gleetus Thimothy1,2, Mary Joan3, Anuj Vijay1
1Department of Physics, Institute of Applied Sciences and Humanities, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Journal of Medical Physics
|April 6, 2026
Summary
The minimum segment width (MSW) impacts radiation therapy planning. Optimal MSW for prostate VMAT is 1.0 cm, balancing plan quality and treatment efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Minimum Segment Width (MSW) is crucial for designing radiation therapy treatment plans.
- Optimizing aperture and segment shapes is essential for effective radiation delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of different MSWs on dose distribution in prostate cancer patients undergoing VMAT.
- To determine the optimal MSW for VMAT in prostate cancer treatment planning.
Main Methods:
- Generated VMAT plans for 13 prostate cancer patients using three MSWs (0.5 cm, 1.0 cm, 1.5 cm).
- Utilized dose-volume histogram analysis and compared plans based on conformity, homogeneity, organ-at-risk doses, MUs, and GPRs.
Main Results:
- Plans with 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm MSW showed superior quality compared to 1.5 cm MSW.
- Planning target volume coverage (V95) decreased with increasing MSW.
- Increasing MSW reduced monitor units (MUs) and improved gamma passing rates (GPRs).
Conclusions:
- MSWs of 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm offer better VMAT plan quality for prostate cancer.
- A 1.0 cm MSW is recommended as the optimal choice for balancing plan quality and treatment efficiency in prostate VMAT.
