Interfractional Variations in the Setup of Pelvic Bony Anatomy and Soft Tissue, and Their Implications on the Delivery of Proton Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Purpose

To quantify daily variations in the anatomy of patients undergoing radiation therapy for prostate carcinoma, to estimate their effect on dose distribution, and to evaluate the effectiveness of current standard planning and set-up approaches employed in proton therapy.

Methods

We used series of CT data, which included the pre-treatment scan, and between 21 and 43 in-room scans acquired on different treatment days, from 10 patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy at Morristown Memorial Hospital. Variations in femur rotation angles, thickness of subcutaneous adipose tissue, and physical depth to the distal surface of the prostate for lateral beam arrangement were recorded. Proton dose distributions were planned with the standard approach. Daily variations in the location of the prescription iso-dose were evaluated.

Results

In all 10 datasets, substantial variation was observed in the lateral tissue thickness (standard deviation of 1.7–3.6 mm for individual patients, variations of over 5 mm from the planning CT observed in all series), and femur rotation angle (standard deviation between 1.3–4.8°, with the maximum excursion exceeding 10° in 6 out of 10 datasets). Shifts in the position of treated volume (98% iso-dose) were correlated with the variations in the lateral tissue thickness.

Conclusions

Analysis suggests that, combined with image-guided set-up verification, the range compensator expansion technique prevents loss of dose to target due to femur rotation and soft tissue deformation, in the majority of cases. Anatomic changes coupled with the uncertainties of particle penetration in tissue restrict possibilities for margin reduction in proton therapy of prostate cancer.