New patient setup procedure using surface-guided imaging to reduce body touch and skin marks in whole-breast irradiation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a new patient-setup procedure using surface-guided imaging during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic for left-sided whole-breast irradiation with deep inspiration breath-hold. Two setup procedures were compared regarding patient positioning accuracy for the first 22 patients. The first was a traditional setup (T-setup) procedure that used a surface-guided system after patient setup with traditional skin marks and lasers. The second procedure involved a new setup (N-setup) that used only a surface-guided system. The positioning accuracy of the remaining 23 patients was assessed using a setup that combined marker reduction and the N-setup procedure. No significant difference was observed in positioning accuracy between the two setups. The positioning accuracy of the marker-reduction setup was within 3mm in all directions. The N-setup procedure may be a useful strategy for preventing infection during or after the COVID-19 pandemic.