A Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Three Breath Hold Techniques for Left-sided Breast Radiation Therapy

Abstract

The risk of cardiac toxicity remains a clinical challenge for left-breast irradiation. Our institution evaluated three different breath hold techniques for cardiac sparing in patients receiving left-sided breast radiation therapy (RT): (1) the Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC); (2) an in-house-developed Visually-Monitored Voluntary Breath Hold (VM-VBH) technique and (3) a surface guided technique using the Align-RT system. The aim of this project was to select a primary breath hold technique option for future left-sided breast treatments.