4DCT Maximum Intensity Projection Research Articles

Evaluation of Lung Tumor Target Volume in a Large Sample: Target and Clinical Factors Influencing the Volume Derived From Four-Dimensional CT and Cone Beam CT.

Background and PurposeThis study aimed to systematically evaluate the influence of target-related and clinical factors on volume differences and the similarity of targets derived from four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images in lung stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).Materials and Methods4DCT and CBCT image data of 210 tumors from 195 patients were analyzed. The internal gross target volume (IGTV) derived from the maximum intensity projection (MIP) of 4DCT (IGTV-MIP) and the IGTV from CBCT (IGTV-CBCT) were compared with the reference IGTV from 10 phases of 4DCT (IGTV-10). The target size, tumor motion, and the similarity between IGTVs were measured. The influence of target-related and clinical factors on the adequacy of IGTVs derived from 4DCT MIP and CBCT images was evaluated.ResultsThe mean tumor motion amplitude in the 3D direction was 6.5 ± 5 mm. The mean size ratio of IGTV-CBCT and IGTV-MIP compared to IGTV-10 in all patients was 0.71 ± 0.21 and 0.8 ± 0.14, respectively. Female sex, greater BSA, and larger target size were protective factors, while the Karnofsky Performance Status, body mass index, and motion were risk factors for the similarity between IGTV-MIP and IGTV-10. Older age and larger target size were protective factors, while adhesion to the heart, coexistence with cardiopathy, and tumor motion were risk factors for the similarity between IGTV-CBCT and IGTV-10.ConclusionClinical factors should be considered when using MIP images for defining ITV, and when using CBCT images for verifying treatment targets.

Performance Validation of In-House Developed Four-dimensional Dynamic Phantom.

Objective:The objective of this study was to validate the performance characteristics of in-house developed four-dimensional (4D) dynamic phantom (FDDP).Materials and Methods:There are three target inserts of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cm diameter. The targets were driven in sinusoidal pattern in the longitudinal direction, using the combinations of amplitudes of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 cm with frequencies of 0.2 and 0.25 Hz. The amplitude and frequency of motion were measured manually, and by using Real-Time Position Management (RPM) system also. The static, free-breathing, and 4D computed tomography (CT) scans of the phantom were acquired with 1.0 mm slice thickness. The 4DCT scans were sorted into 0%–90% phase, and the maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were also generated. The static, free-breathing, and 4DCT data sets and MIP images were contoured to get VStatic, VFB, V00......V90, and internal target volume ITV MIP, respectively. The individual phase volumes were summed to obtain V4D. The length of the target in the motion was measured using MIP image and compared with theoretical length (TL). The variation of 3D displacement vector of individual phase volume with respect to V00 with the phase of motion was studied at amplitude and frequency of 1.0 cm and 0.25 Hz, respectively. The degree of similarity between VFB and V4D and VFB and ITVMIP was also studied for all the target sizes at amplitude and frequency of 1.0 cm and 0.2 Hz and 1.0 cm and 0.25 Hz, respectively.Results:The amplitude and frequency of motion agreed within the limits of uncertainty with the manually and RPM measured values. The length of target in the motion matched within 1.0 mm with TL. The 3D displacement of individual phase volume showed no target size dependence, and the degree of similarity between VFB and V4D and VFB and ITVMIP decreases with increase in the displacement between the two volumes.Conclusions:The mechanical and imaging performances of FDDP were found within the acceptable limits. Therefore, this phantom can be used for quality assurance of 4D imaging process in radiotherapy.

Changes in cardiac volume determined with repeated enhanced 4DCT during chemoradiotherapy for esophageal cancer

BackgroundConcurrent chemoradiotherapy is considered curative intent treatment for patients with non-operative esophageal cancer. Radiation-induced heart damage receives much attention. We performed repeated four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) to detect changes in cardiac volume during radiotherapy for esophageal cancer patients, and explored potential factors responsible for those changes.MethodsForty-six patients with esophageal cancer underwent enhanced 4DCT and three-dimensional (3D) CT scans before radiotherapy and every 10 fractions during treatment. The heart was contoured on 3DCT images, 4DCT end expiratory (EE) images and 4DCT maximum intensity projection (MIP) images by the same radiation oncologist. Heart volumes and other relative parameters were compared by the SPSS software package, version 19.0.ResultsCompared with its initial value, heart volume was smaller at the 10th fraction (reduction = 3.27%, 4.45% and 4.52% on 3DCT, EE and MIP images, respectively, p < 0.05) and the 20th fraction (reduction = 6.05%, 5.64% and 4.51% on 3DCT, EE and MIP images, respectively, p < 0.05), but not at the 30th fraction. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were reduced (by 16.95 ± 16.69 mmHg and 7.14 ± 11.64 mmHg, respectively, both p < 0.05) and the heart rate was elevated by 5.27 ± 6.25 beats/min (p < 0.05) after radiotherapy. None of the potential explanatory variables correlated with heart volume changes.ConclusionsCardiac volume reduced significantly from an early treatment stage and maintained the reduction until the middle stage. The heart volume changes observed on 3DCT and 4DCT were consistent during radiotherapy. The changes in heart volume, blood pressure and heart rate may be valuable indicators of cardiac impairment and target dose changes.

Dose Verification for Tumor Motion with Different Treatment Planning Systems: A Dynamic Thorax Phantom Study

During radiation therapy for lung cancer, the respiratory motion of the target increases error and affects the treatment outcome. A four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) technology developed recently can be used to obtain snapshot thoracic CT images during the entire respiratory cycle, which can be helpful in visualization of the tumor displacement in respiratory motion. This study employed a dynamic phantom to simulate tumor respiratory motion, with motion amplitudes of 2, 5 and 10 mm in the superior-inferior direction and motion periods of 4 and 6 s. 4D-CT imaging was applied to record the movement of the target, and maximum-intensity projection (MIP) imaging was used to define the internal target volume (ITV). Treatment plans were generated using three different treatment techniques—tomotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). In addition, using interchangeable insert modules (an ionization chamber for point dose measurement and Gafchromic EBT3 film for planar dose distribution) in the dynamic phantom, the dose received by the target was measured. The dose received with motion was compared with that received under stationary conditions for dose errors due to respiratory motion. The point dose differences between moving and stationary conditions for tomotherapy, IMRT and VMAT were 0.48 ± 0.51%, 0.17 ± 0.45%, and 0.68 ± 0.70%, respectively; and at motion amplitudes of 2, 5, and 10 mm, the mean dose differences were 0.27 ± 0.38%, 0.37 ± 0.55% and 0.68 ± 0.74%, respectively. Based on planar dose analysis, at motion amplitudes of 2 and 5 mm, the dose distribution differences between moving and stationary conditions using the three treatment methods were all very small, and all passed the gamma index test with a criterion of 3%/3 mm, while at an amplitude of 10 mm, the edge of the ITV was associated with significantly greater dose errors. As studies have shown that in only approximately 10% of pulmonary tumors move with an amplitude >10 mm, 4D-CT MIP imaging in combination with delineation of the ITV may resolve the issue of dose error in most cases. For tumors with large motion amplitudes due to respiration, respiratory gating method may be used to reduce healthy lung tissues inside treatment field.

Evaluation of the motion of lung tumors during stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) using real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system (RTRT)

PurposeWe investigated the usefulness of four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) performed before stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in determining the internal margins for peripheral lung tumors. Methods and MaterialsThe amplitude of the movement of a fiducial marker near a lung tumor measured using the maximum intensity projection (MIP) method in 4DCT imaging was acquired before the SBRT (AmpCT) and compared with the mean amplitude of the marker movement during SBRT (Ampmean) and with the maximum amplitude of the marker movement during SBRT (Ampmax) using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system with 22 patients. ResultsThere were no significant differences between the means of the Ampmean and the means of the AmpCT in all directions (LR, P = 0.45; CC, P = 0.80; AP, P = 0.65). The means of the Ampmax were significantly larger than the means of the AmpCT in all directions (LR, P < 0.01; CC, P = 0.03; AP, P < 0.01). In the lower lobe, the mean difference of the AmpCT from the mean of the Ampmax was 5.7 ± 8.0 mm, 12.5 ± 16.7 mm, and 6.8 ± 8.5 mm in the LR, CC, and AP directions, respectively. ConclusionsAcquiring 4DCT MIP images before the SBRT treatment is useful to establish the mean amplitude for a patient during SBRT but it underestimates the maximum amplitude during actual SBRT. Caution must be paid to determine the margin with the 4DCT especially for tumors at the lower lobe where it is of the potentially greatest benefit.

Geometrical differences in target volumes based on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and four-dimensional computed tomography maximum intensity projection images of primary thoracic esophageal cancer.

The objective of the study was to compare geometrical differences of target volumes based on four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) maximum intensity projection (MIP) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) images of primary thoracic esophageal cancer for radiation treatment. Twenty-one patients with thoracic esophageal cancer sequentially underwent contrast-enhanced three-dimensional computed tomography (3DCT), 4DCT, and 18F-FDG PET/CT thoracic simulation scans during normal free breathing. The internal gross target volume defined as IGTVMIP was obtained by contouring on MIP images. The gross target volumes based on PET/CT images (GTVPET ) were determined with nine different standardized uptake value (SUV) thresholds and manual contouring: SUV≥2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5 (SUVn); ≥20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40% of the maximum (percentages of SUVmax, SUVn%). The differences in volume ratio (VR), conformity index (CI), and degree of inclusion (DI) between IGTVMIP and GTVPET were investigated. The mean centroid distance between GTVPET and IGTVMIP ranged from 4.98 mm to 6.53 mm. The VR ranged from 0.37 to 1.34, being significantly (P<0.05) closest to 1 at SUV2.5 (0.94), SUV20% (1.07), or manual contouring (1.10). The mean CI ranged from 0.34 to 0.58, being significantly closest to 1 (P<0.05) at SUV2.0 (0.55), SUV2.5 (0.56), SUV20% (0.56), SUV25% (0.53), or manual contouring (0.58). The mean DI of GTVPET in IGTVMIP ranged from 0.61 to 0.91, and the mean DI of IGTVMIP in GTVPET ranged from 0.34 to 0.86. The SUV threshold setting of SUV2.5, SUV20% or manual contouring yields the best tumor VR and CI with internal-gross target volume contoured on MIP of 4DCT dataset, but 3DPET/CT and 4DCT MIP could not replace each other for motion encompassing target volume delineation for radiation treatment.

Simulation of dosimetric consequences of 4D-CT-based motion margin estimation for proton radiotherapy using patient tumor motion data

For the radiation treatment of lung cancer patients, four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) is a common practice used clinically to image tumor motion and subsequently determine the internal target volume (ITV) from the maximum intensity projection (MIP) images. ITV, which is derived from short pre-treatment 4D-CT scan (<6 s per couch position), may not adequately cover the extent of tumor motion during the treatment, particularly for patients that exhibit a large respiratory variability. Inaccurate tumor localization may result in under-dosage of the tumor or over-dosage of the surrounding tissues. The purpose of this study is therefore to assess the degree of tumor under-dosage in case of regular and irregular breathing for proton radiotherapy using ITV-based treatment planning. We place a spherical lesion into a modified XCAT phantom that is also capable of producing 4D images based on irregular breathing, and move the tumor according to real tumor motion data, which is acquired over multiple days by tracking gold fiducial markers implanted into the lung tumors of patients. We derive ITVs by taking the union of all tumor positions during 6 s of tumor motion in the phantom using the first day patient tumor tracking data. This is equivalent to ITVs generated clinically from cine-mode 4D-CT MIP images. The treatment plans created for different ITVs are then implemented on dynamic phantoms with tumor motion governed by real tumor tracking data from consecutive days. By comparing gross tumor volume dose distribution on days of ‘treatment’ with the ITV dose distribution, we evaluate the deviation of the actually delivered dose from the predicted dose. Our results have shown that the proton treatment planning on ITV derived from pre-treatment cine-mode 4D-CT can result in under-dosage (dose covering 95% of volume) of the tumor by up to 25.7% over 3 min of treatment for the patient with irregular respiratory motion. Tumor under-dosage is less significant for the patient with relatively regular breathing. We have demonstrated that proton therapy using the pre-treatment 4D-CT based ITV method can lead to significant under-dosage of the tumor, highlighting the need for daily customization to generate a target volume that represents tumor positions during the treatment more accurately.

Effect of different breathing patterns in the same patient on stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy dosimetry for primary renal cell carcinoma: A case study

Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy (SABR) for primary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) targets requires motion management strategies to verify dose delivery. This case study highlights the effect of a change in patient breathing amplitude on the dosimetry to organs at risk and target structures. A 73-year-old male patient was planned for receiving 26Gy of radiation in 1 fraction of SABR for a left primary RCC. The patient was simulated with four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) and the tumor internal target volume (ITV) was delineated using the 4DCT maximum intensity projection. However, the initially planned treatment was abandoned at the radiation oncologist's discretion after pretreatment cone-beam CT (CBCT) motion verification identified a greater than 50% reduction in superior to inferior diaphragm motion as compared with the planning 4DCT. This patient was resimulated with respiratory coaching instructions. To assess the effect of the change in breathing on the dosimetry to the target, each plan was recalculated on the data set representing the change in breathing condition. A change from smaller to larger breathing showed a 46% loss in planning target volume (PTV) coverage, whereas a change from larger breathing to smaller breathing resulted in an 8% decrease in PTV coverage. ITV coverage was similarly reduced by 8% in both scenarios. This case study highlights the importance of tools to verify breathing motion prior to treatment delivery. 4D image guided radiation therapy verification strategies should focus on not only verifying ITV margin coverage but also the effect on the surrounding organs at risk.

The effect of irregular breathing patterns on internal target volumes in four-dimensional CT and cone-beam CT images in the context of stereotactic lung radiotherapy

Stereotactic lung radiotherapy is complicated by tumor motion from patient respiration. Four-dimensional CT (4DCT) imaging is a motion compensation method used in treatment planning to generate a maximum intensity projection (MIP) internal target volume (ITV). Image guided radiotherapy during treatment may involve acquiring a volumetric cone-beam CT (CBCT) image and visually aligning the tumor to the planning 4DCT MIP ITV contour. Moving targets imaged with CBCT can appear blurred and currently there are no studies reporting on the effect that irregular breathing patterns have on CBCT volumes and their alignment to 4DCT MIP ITV contours. The objective of this work was therefore to image a phantom moving with irregular breathing patterns to determine whether any configurations resulted in errors in volume contouring or alignment. A Perspex thorax phantom was used to simulate a patient. Three wooden "lung" inserts with embedded Perspex "lesions" were moved up to 4 cm with computer-generated motion patterns, and up to 1 cm with patient-specific breathing patterns. The phantom was imaged on 4DCT and CBCT with the same acquisition settings used for stereotactic lung patients in the clinic and the volumes on all phantom images were contoured. This project assessed the volumes for qualitative and quantitative changes including volume, length of the volume, and errors in alignment between CBCT volumes and 4DCT MIP ITV contours. When motion was introduced 4DCT and CBCT volumes were reduced by up to 20% and 30% and shortened by up to 7 and 11 mm, respectively, indicating that volume was being under-represented at the extremes of motion. Banding artifacts were present in 4DCT MIP images, while CBCT volumes were largely reduced in contrast. When variable amplitudes from patient traces were used and CBCT ITVs were compared to 4DCT MIP ITVs there was a distinct trend in reduced ITV with increasing amplitude that was not seen when compared to true ITVs. Breathing patterns with a rest period following expiration resulted in well-defined superior edges and were better aligned using an edge-to-edge alignment technique. In most cases, sinusoidal motion patterns resulted in the closest agreements to true values and the smallest misalignments. Strategies are needed to compensate for volume losses at the extremes of motion for both 4DCT MIP and CBCT images for larger and varied amplitudes, and for patterns with rest periods following expiration. Lesions moving greater than 2 cm would warrant larger treatment margins added to the 4DCT MIP ITV to account for the volume being under-represented at the extremes of motion. Lesions moving with a rest period following expiration would be better aligned using an edge-to-edge alignment technique. Sinusoidal patterns represented the ideal clinical scenario, reinforcing the importance of investigating clinically relevant motions and their effects on 4DCT MIP and CBCT volumes. Since most patients do not breathe sinusoidally this may lead to misinterpretation of previous studies using only sinusoidal motion.

SU-E-J-206: Are We Treating the Entire Lung Tumor by Contouring ITV on 4DCT MIP?

To describe a case report of lung radiosurgery in which defining a target using a maximal intensity projection CT omitted a portion of the target due to an overlapping projection of the diaphragm. A Lung 4DCT was obtained, and all ten breathing phases from 0% to 90% were reconstructed. The gating window was set to treat phases 30% to 70%, and the corresponding Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) was generated. An ITV was contoured on the MIP. Tumor GTVs were contoured on all phases. Another ITV was generated by using the overlapped projection of all GTVs in the gating window when suspicion arose that part of the target was omitted. The volumes of the ITVs and GTVs were calculated. DVHs were analyzed on the plan generated to cover the MIP ITV. The initial ITV based on the MIP omitted 15% of the target Since the ITVs of the diaphragm and the tumor overlap in the MIP, and the imaging technique cannot differentiate them, contouring tumor only on MIP has risk of missing part of the tumor. We have also found that the volumes of all 10 phases fluctuate with a standard deviation of 5.6%. This indicates the imperfection of 4DCT generation. If the treatment plan was generated based on MIP ITV, DVH shows the lack of coverage for the true ITV. We propose two methods to accurately delineate tumor ITV from 4DCT for cases in which the target is located adjacent to diaphragm. If it is desired to start with contouring ITV on MIP, thorough QA needs to be done by going through all gating phases to adjust the ITV accordingly. A more straightforward method is to contour the GTV on all gating phases and use the overlapped projections as the ITV.

Clinical evaluations of an amplitude-based binning algorithm for 4DCT reconstruction in radiation therapy

Phase-binning algorithms are commonly utilized in 4DCT image reconstruction for characterization of tumor or organ shape and respiration motion, but breathing irregularities occurring during 4DCT acquisition can cause considerable image distortions. Recently, amplitude-binning algorithms have been evaluated as a potential improvement to phase-binning algorithms for 4DCT image reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the first commercially available on-line retrospective amplitude-binning algorithm for comparison to the traditional phase-binning algorithm. Both phantom and clinical data were used for evaluation. A phantom of known geometry was mounted on a 4D motion platform programmed with seven respiratory waves (two computer generated and five patient trajectories) and scanned with a Philips Brilliance Big bore 16-slice CT simulator. 4DCT images were reconstructed using commercial amplitude- and phase-binning algorithms. Image quality of the amplitude- and phase-binned image sets was compared by evaluation of shape and volume distortions in reconstructed images. Clinical evaluations were performed on 64 4DCT patient image sets in a blinded review process. The amplitude- and phase-binned 4DCT maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were further evaluated for 28 stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) cases of total 64 cases. A preliminary investigation of the effects of respiratory amplitude and pattern irregularities on motion artifact severity was conducted. The phantom experiments illustrated that, as expected, maximum inhalation occurred at the 0% amplitude and maximum exhalation occurred at the 50% amplitude of the amplitude-binned 4DCT image sets. The phantom shape distortions were more severe in the images reconstructed from the phase-binning algorithm. In the clinical study, compared to the phase-binning algorithm, the amplitude-binning algorithm yielded fewer or less severe motion artifacts in 37.5% of the cases (24∕64), comparable artifacts in 54.7% of the cases (35∕64), and slightly greater artifacts in 7.8% of the cases (5∕64). Evaluation of SBRT cases demonstrated that the reconstructed tumor sizes and locations were comparable in 96% (1∕28) of the MIP image pairs generated from both amplitude- and phase-binning algorithms. In this case the amplitude-binned image set rendered a smaller tumor size, which was likely due to very shallow respiratory amplitudes occurring over several breathing cycles. Overall, the amplitude-binning algorithm for 4DCT reconstruction reduced the severity of tumor distortion and image artifacts compared to the phase-binning algorithm. However, the full range of motion may not be characterized using amplitude-binning algorithms. Despite superior performance, amplitude binning can still be susceptible to motion artifacts caused by large variations in amplitude of respiratory waves.

A study on the dosimetric accuracy of treatment planning for stereotactic body radiation therapy of lung cancer using average and maximum intensity projection images

Purpose To assess the accuracy of current stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) lung treatment planning methodologies on irregular breathing patterns, we have performed a systematic dosimetric evaluation in phantoms by utilizing maximum intensity projection (MIP) and average (AVG) images generated from four dimensional computed tomography (4DCT). Methods A custom built programmable lung phantom was used to simulate tumor motions due to various breathing patterns of patients. 4DCT scans were obtained in helical mode, and reconstructed AVG and MIP datasets were imported into the Pinnacle 8.0 h treatment planning system. SBRT plans were generated and executed, and delivered doses were measured by radiochromic film for analysis. Results For targets moving regularly or irregularly within a small range (7.0 ± 1.8 mm, n = 6), we observed good agreement between the measured and computed dose distributions. However, for targets moving irregularly with a larger range (20.8 ± 2.6 mm, n = 4), the measured isodose lines were found to be shifted relative to the planned distribution, resulting in an under-dosing (over 10%) in a portion of the PTV. We further observed that the discrepancy between planned and measured dose distribution is due to the inaccurate representation of irregular target motion in the MIP images generated from 4DCT. Conclusions Caution should be used when planning from 4DCT images in the presence of large and irregular target motion. The inaccuracy inherent in 4DCT MIP and AVG images can be mitigated through the application of methodologies to reduce respiratory motion, such as abdominal compression, and through the use of volumetric image guidance (e.g., cone beam CT – CBCT) to assure precise targeting with minimal shifts.

Cine Computed Tomography Without Respiratory Surrogate in Planning Stereotactic Radiotherapy for Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

To determine whether cine computed tomography (CT) can serve as an alternative to four-dimensional (4D)-CT by providing tumor motion information and producing equivalent target volumes when used to contour in radiotherapy planning without a respiratory surrogate. Cine CT images from a commercial CT scanner were used to form maximum intensity projection and respiratory-averaged CT image sets. These image sets then were used together to define the targets for radiotherapy. Phantoms oscillating under irregular motion were used to assess the differences between contouring using cine CT and 4D-CT. We also retrospectively reviewed the image sets for 26 patients (27 lesions) at our institution who had undergone stereotactic radiotherapy for Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer. The patients were included if the tumor motion was >1 cm. The lesions were first contoured using maximum intensity projection and respiratory-averaged CT image sets processed from cine CT and then with 4D-CT maximum intensity projection and 10-phase image sets. The mean ratios of the volume magnitude were compared with intraobserver variation, the mean centroid shifts were calculated, and the volume overlap was assessed with the normalized Dice similarity coefficient index. The phantom studies demonstrated that cine CT captured a greater extent of irregular tumor motion than did 4D-CT, producing a larger tumor volume. The patient studies demonstrated that the gross tumor defined using cine CT imaging was similar to, or slightly larger than, that defined using 4D-CT. The results of our study have shown that cine CT is a promising alternative to 4D-CT for stereotactic radiotherapy planning.

TH-E-M100F-06: Estimation of the Error in Internal Target Volume (ITV) of Lung Tumor Obtained From Free-Breathing Cine-Mode 4DCT: A Simulation and Comparison Study Based On Dynamic MRI

Purpose: To quantitate the error of tumor internal target volume (ITV) as determined from simulated free-breathing cine-mode 4DCT using dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI). Method and Materials: 8 healthy volunteers and 6 lung tumor patients underwent a 5-minute MRI scan in the sagittal plane to acquire dynamic images of lung motion. A MATLAB program was written to simulate the cine-mode 4DCT acquisition by segmenting and resorting the MR images. Maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were generated from both simulated 4DCT (sCT) and dMRI, and the errors in MIP-based ITV from sCT (ε), comparing to those from dMRI, were determined and correlate to the subjects' respiratory variability (ν). Results: MIP-based ITVs from sCT were comparatively smaller than those from dMRI in both digital-phantom studies (ε=−21.64±8.23%) and lung tumor patient studies (ε=−20.31±11.36%). The errors in MIP-based ITV from sCT linearly correlated (, r2=0.76) with the subjects' respiratory variability. Conclusions: Because of the low temporal resolution and retrospective resorting, 4DCT may not accurately depict the excursion of a moving tumor. Using 4DCT MIP image to define ITV may therefore cause under-dosing and increased risk of subsequent treatment failure. Patient-specific respiratory variability may also be a useful predictor of the 4DCT-induced error in MIP-based ITV determination.

Strategy of Respiratory Gated Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer Patient in Stereotactic Radiosurgery: Phantom Study

Purpose: We propose the measurement method of tumor movement for respiratory gated therapy in lung cancer patient for stereotactic radiosurgery, contouring method of tumor for radiation treatment planning using measured tumor movement. And through phantom study, we ascertain that the tumor movement is properly reflected in determination of PTV, and the tumor is properly and safely treated in full respiration phases and respiratory gated therapy. Materials and Methods: Lung cancer phantom and 1-dimensional moving phantom were made to evaluate respiratory gated radiation therapy for lung SRS. 4D CT scan was performed using these phantoms and 10 sets of CT images and post-processed MIP (Maximum Intensity Projection) images were used to measure the tumor movement. The measured tumor movement in 4D CT images and MIP images were compared. Also, during radiation exposure in full respiration phases and respiratory gated phases, tumor movement included in radiation exposure was measured using EPID image and compared with measured data in 4D CT images and MIP images. Results: The tumor movement measured in full respiration phases was 28.8mm and 29.1 mm in 4D CT images and MIP images respectively, and in respiratory gated phases, 30∼70% phases, was 12 mm and 12.2 mm respectively. The tumor contoured in each phase images and MIP images was well agreed in full respiration phases and respiratory gated phases. The tumor movement included in radiation exposure was 29.3 mm and 8.4 mm in full respiration phases and respiratory gated phases respectively. Conclusion: The tumor movement measured in 4D CT images and MIP images was well agreed, so we propose to use of MIP image for contouring of tumor in full respiration phases and respiratory gated phases. In full respiration radiation treatment and respiratory gated radiation therapy, the tumor movement included in radiation exposure was well agreed with measured tumor movement in 4D CT images or MIP images, so we ascertain though this phantom study we can exactly treat the tumor including tumor movement. In respiratory gated radiation therapy, the tumor movement included in radiation exposure was about 30% smaller than measured tumor movement in 4D CT images or MIP images, so we ascertain that we can safely treat the tumor including tumor movement in current provided technique. (J Lung Cancer 2007;6(1):29 �� 34)