Potential Benefit of Adaptive Radiation Therapy following Prostatectomy

Abstract

Radiation therapy following prostatectomy has demonstrated improved PSA relapse-free, metastasis-free and overall survival. Intensity-modulated, image-guided radiotherapy (IG-IMRT) has improved the accuracy of radiation delivery. However, filling of the bladder and rectum result in substantial deformations of the clinical target volume (CTV) that cannot be accounted for by a simple shift of the treatment couch. Adaptive radiation therapy (ART) can reduce systematic errors due to CTV deformation that cannot be corrected by conventional IGRT.