Dose-Response Model for Chest Wall Tolerance of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Many recent studies have described rib fractures and chest wall pain following stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Although these toxicities generally are not life-threatening, the chest wall and ribs are considered dose-limiting tissues because of the potential effect on patients׳ quality of life. Few studies have reported dose-response models that can provide quantitative estimates of risk as a function of dose and volume. Notably, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Mutter et al8) analyzed grade 2 or higher chest wall toxicity in a cohort of 126 patients treated with linear accelerator–based SBRT; the authors provided detailed dose-volume histogram (DVH) data to allow for pooled analyses.
Source: Seminars in Radiation Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research