Flattening Filter-Free Beams in Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Sinonasal Cancer

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2016 Jan 7

PMID 26734731

Citations 3

Authors

Jia-Yang Lu

Jing Zheng

Wu-Zhe Zhang

Bao-Tian Huang

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric impacts of flattening filter-free (FFF) beams in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for sinonasal cancer.

Methods: For fourteen cases, IMRT and VMAT planning was performed using 6-MV photon beams with both conventional flattened and FFF modes. The four types of plans were compared in terms of target dose homogeneity and conformity, organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing, number of monitor units (MUs) per fraction, treatment time and pure beam-on time.

Results: FFF beams led to comparable target dose homogeneity, conformity, increased number of MUs and lower doses to the spinal cord, brainstem and normal tissue, compared with flattened beams in both IMRT and VMAT. FFF beams in IMRT resulted in improvements by up to 5.4% for sparing of the contralateral optic structures, with shortened treatment time by 9.5%. However, FFF beams provided comparable overall OAR sparing and treatment time in VMAT. With FFF mode, VMAT yielded inferior homogeneity and superior conformity compared with IMRT, with comparable overall OAR sparing and significantly shorter treatment time.

Conclusions: Using FFF beams in IMRT and VMAT is feasible for the treatment of sinonasal cancer. Our results suggest that the delivery mode of FFF beams may play an encouraging role with better sparing of contralateral optic OARs and treatment efficiency in IMRT, but yield comparable results in VMAT.

Citing Articles

Comparison of Air-Gaps Effect in a Small Cavity on Dose Calculation for 6 MV Linac.

Azzi A, Ryangga D, Pawiro S J Biomed Phys Eng. 2021; 11(1):17-28.

PMID: 33564636 PMC: 7859373. DOI: 10.31661/jbpe.v0i0.2004-1096.

Comparison of Flattening Filter and Flattening Filter-Free Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Jia F, Xu D, Yue H, Wu H, Li G Med Sci Monit. 2018; 24:8500-8505.

PMID: 30472719 PMC: 6276721. DOI: 10.12659/MSM.910218.

Radiosurgery with flattening-filter-free techniques in the treatment of brain metastases : Plan comparison and early clinical evaluation.

Rieber J, Tonndorf-Martini E, Schramm O, Rhein B, Stefanowicz S, Kappes J Strahlenther Onkol. 2016; 192(11):789-796.

PMID: 27377261 DOI: 10.1007/s00066-016-1012-x.

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