A Dosimetric and Radiobiological Comparison of Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy, Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy and Helical Tomotherapy Planning Techniques in Synchronous Bilateral Breast Cancer

Abstract

The present investigation intends to identify the optimal radiotherapy treatment plan for synchronous bilateral breast cancer (SBBC) using dosimetric and radiobiological indexes for three techniques, namely, helical tomotherapy (HT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Twenty SBBC treated female patients treatment planning data (average age of 52.5 years) were used as the sample for the present study. Three different plans were created using 50 Gy in a 25 fraction dose regime. Poisson, Niemierko, and LKB models were applied for calculating normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) and tumour control probability (TCP). The target average dose comparison between IMRT with HT and VMAT with HT was highly substantial (P=0.001). The percentage of TCP for IMRT, VMAT, and HT in the Poisson model were 93.70±0.28, 94.68±0.30, and 94.34±0.57, respectively (p<0.05). The dose maximum was lower for the whole lung in the HT plan, with an average dose of 49.31Gy±3.9 (p<0.009). The NTCP values of both Niemierko and LKB models were lower for the heart, lungs, and liver for the IMRT plan. The sparing of organs at risk was higher in the HT plan dosimetrically, and the TCP was higher in the three techniques. The comparison between the three techniques shows that the IMRT and HT techniques could be considered for treating SBBC.