Evaluation of the clinical application of Auto-Planning module for IMRT plans of left breast cancer

Publication date: January 2020Source: Radiation Physics and Chemistry, Volume 166Author(s): Fang-Yu Liu, Zhi-Wei Dong, Hui-Bin Yang, Hong-Yun ShiAbstractEven with advanced inverse intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique, the optimization of treatment plans remains a time-consuming task and the outcome is highly influenced by the experience of the planner and time pressure. Automated treatment planning is a current hot topic and new frontier in radiotherapy, which is expected to minimize the above problems. The quality and efficacy of the IMRT plans generated by the Auto-Planning module of the Pinnacle3 treatment planning system (TPS) were evaluated by comparing with traditional manual plans (MPs) for left breast cancer. Dose distributions of planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs), treatment parameters including monitor units and number of control points, the planning time, and the quality assurance (QA) results were statistically compared for two types of treatment plans by Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test followed by Bonferroni correction with a corrected significance threshold of 0.2%. Dose homogeneity of the PTV was better with automated plans (APs) (p < 0.001), but automatically generated plans showed inferior dose conformity (p < 0.001), when similar target coverage was obtained between the two planning methods. The low-dose distributions of left lung and heart were dramatically improved by Auto-Planning approach, whic...
Source: Radiation Physics and Chemistry - Category: Physics Source Type: research