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At least 415 records · Page 23

SU-E-T-365: Dosimetric Impact of Dental Amalgam CT Image Artifacts On IMRT and VMAT Head and Neck Plans

Purpose: The presence of high density dental amalgam in patient CT image data sets causes dose calculation errors for head and neck (HN) treatment planning. This study assesses and compares dosimetric variations in IMRT and VMAT treatment plans due to dental artifacts. Methods: Sixteen HN patients with similar treatment sites (oropharynx), tumor volume and extensive dental artifacts were divided into two groups: IMRT (n=8, 6 to 9 beams) and VMAT (n=8, 2 arcs with 352° rotation). All cases were planned with the Pinnacle 9.2 treatment planning software using the collapsed cone convolution superposition algorithm and a range of prescription dose from 60 to 72Gy. Two different treatment plans were produced, each based on one of two image sets: (a)uncorrected; (b)dental artifacts density overridden (set to 1.0g/cm{sup 3}). Differences between the two treatment plans for each of the IMRT and VMAT techniques were quantified by the following dosimetric parameters: maximum point dose, maximum spinal cord and brainstem dose, mean left and right parotid dose, and PTV coverage (V95%Rx). Average differences generated for these dosimetric parameters were compared between IMRT and VMAT plans. Results: The average absolute dose differences (plan a minus plan b) for the VMAT and IMRT techniques, respectively, caused by dental artifacts were: 2.2±3.3cGy vs. 37.6±57.5cGy (maximum point dose, P=0.15); 1.2±0.9cGy vs. 7.9±6.7cGy (maximum spinal cord dose, P=0.026); 2.2±2.4cGy vs. 12.1±13.0cGy (maximum brainstem dose, P=0.077); 0.9±1.1cGy vs. 4.1±3.5cGy (mean left parotid dose, P=0.038); 0.9±0.8cGy vs. 7.8±11.9cGy (mean right parotid dose, P=0.136); 0.021%±0.014% vs. 0.803%±1.44% (PTV coverage, P=0.17). Conclusion: For the HN plans studied, dental artifacts demonstrated a greater dose calculation error for IMRT plans compared to VMAT plans. Rotational arcs appear on the average to compensate dose calculation errors induced by dental artifacts. Thus, compared to VMAT, density overrides for dental artifacts are more important when planning IMRT of HN.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-413: Experience-Based VMAT Plan Quality Database

Purpose: To quantify VMAT plan quality using a retrospective study of over 200 clinical treated VMAT plans created using the Eclipse Treatment Planning System to create benchmarks of plan quality for a few categories of treatment sites. Methods: Using a controlled phantom geometry, various dosimetric indices were investigated to quantify dosimetric plan quality as a function of isocenter displacement from center of mass, average path length, number of arcs and PTV proximity to critical structures. Beginning with published dosimetry indices from SRS and SBRT evaluations, UDI (Unified Dosimetry Index) and modified UDI were tested before creating a new factor VMAT-DI. VMAT-DI was developed within boundaries of this project and it includes renormalized factors of conformity index, coverage index, modified gradient index and homogeneity index as well as indices based on routine clinical practice such as absolute dose max index. The plans were then evaluated using the VMAT-DI such that benchmarks for planning could be created. Results: The majority of the plans evaluated could be assigned VMAT-DI values within a range for each treatment site. However, the outliers were results of difficult planning parameters such as very irregular targets, inhomogeneities or difficult to achieve critical structure constraints. To effectively use VMAT-DI for guidance, especially for prediction of the plan quality for body sites new to the practice, VMATDI database needs to be subdivided by target complexity and by body site index/average path length factor. Conclusion: An experienced-based VMAT-DI database can be used to help analyze plans before evaluation by the physician to show that it adheres to the clinical standards of previously treated VMAT plans which will make a guideline for concluding the optimization. The introduction of institution-wide clinical planning protocols, standardizing OAR naming and constraints will make it possible to incorporate a cumulative critical structure dosimetry index such as NTCP.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

SU-E-T-539: Fixed Versus Variable Optimization Points in Combined-Mode Modulated Arc Therapy Planning

Purpose: A novel modulated arc therapy technique, mARC, enables superposition of step-and-shoot IMRT segments upon a subset of the optimization points (OPs) of a continuous-arc delivery. We compare two approaches to mARC planning: one with the number of OPs fixed throughout optimization, and another where the planning system determines the number of OPs in the final plan, subject to an upper limit defined at the outset. Methods: Fixed-OP mARC planning was performed for representative cases using Panther v. 5.01 (Prowess, Inc.), while variable-OP mARC planning used Monaco v. 5.00 (Elekta, Inc.). All Monaco planning used an upper limit of 91 OPs; those OPs with minimal MU were removed during optimization. Plans were delivered, and delivery times recorded, on a Siemens Artiste accelerator using a flat 6MV beam with 300 MU/min rate. Dose distributions measured using ArcCheck (Sun Nuclear Corporation, Inc.) were compared with the plan calculation; the two were deemed consistent if they agreed to within 3.5% in absolute dose and 3.5 mm in distance-to-agreement among > 95% of the diodes within the direct beam. Results: Example cases included a prostate and a head-and-neck planned with a single arc and fraction doses of 1.8 and 2.0 Gy, respectively. Aside from slightly more uniform target dose for the variable-OP plans, the DVHs for the two techniques were similar. For the fixed-OP technique, the number of OPs was 38 and 39, and the delivery time was 228 and 259 seconds, respectively, for the prostate and head-and-neck cases. For the final variable-OP plans, there were 91 and 85 OPs, and the delivery time was 296 and 440 seconds, correspondingly longer than for fixed-OP. Conclusion: For mARC, both the fixed-OP and variable-OP approaches produced comparable-quality plans whose delivery was successfully verified. To keep delivery time per fraction short, a fixed-OP planning approach is preferred.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-575: Isocenter Shifts in Treatment Planning and Its Clinical Implications

Purpose: To investigate causes of isocenter shifts in treatment planning and its clinical impact on patient treatment efficiency and safety. Methods/Materials: Treatment planning data of 340 patients under treatment over 8 weeks period were gathered to identify isocenter shifts according to site of the treatment, types of treatment plan or types of the machine used. Treatment plans included inversed and forward IMRT, as well as 3D plans. Treatment sites included pelvis, chest, abdomen, breasts, head and necks and extremities. Re-planning were performed without the isocenter shift for pelvis and chest plans, the dosimetric parameters such as PTV coverage, and dose sparing of OARs of these plans were analyzed and compared. Results/Discussions: Results showed that the isocenter shift was always necessary for some of sites such as breasts, two or more distinctive PTVs, or special cases such as large PTV treated with enhanced dynamic wedge. Many other cases, the re-planning results indicated 53% of the plans that the same quality of the plan can be achieved without the shift of the isocenter. Repositioning patients on a daily basis demanded unambiguous instructions for therapists for patient setups, and additional time to perform the shifts before treatment. Opportunities for error propagation exist during the communication and hand-over of such plans. Conclusion: Isocenter shifts demanded unambiguous instructions and times for therapists for daily patient setups, therefore it impacted both safety and efficiency of the patient treatment. Based on the analysis, the isocenter shifts were unavoidable for cases such as treatment of multiple sites, overcoming limitations of treatment machines, and/or sometime better dosimetry. However, we found many initially proposed shifts may have been eliminated either by careful planning or by improved CT simulation process such as detailed review of the images and localization of the PTV during simulation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-C-BRD-01: A Statistical Modeling Method for Quality Control of Intensity- Modulated Radiation Therapy Planning

Purpose: To apply a statistical modeling approach, threshold modeling (TM), for quality control of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans. Methods: A quantitative measure, which was the weighted sum of violations of dose/dose-volume constraints, was first developed to represent the quality of each IMRT plan. Threshold modeling approach, which is is an extension of extreme value theory in statistics and is an effect way to model extreme values, was then applied to analyze the quality of the plans summarized by our quantitative measures. Our approach modeled the plans generated by planners as a series of independent and identically distributed random variables and described the behaviors of them if the plan quality was controlled below certain threshold. We tested our approach with five locally advanced head and neck cancer patients retrospectively. Two statistics were incorporated for numerical analysis: probability of quality improvement (PQI) of the plans and expected amount of improvement on the quantitative measure (EQI). Results: After clinical planners generated 15 plans for each patient, we applied our approach to obtain the PQI and EQI as if planners would generate additional 15 plans. For two of the patients, the PQI was significantly higher than the other three (0.17 and 0.18 comparing to 0.08, 0.01 and 0.01). The actual percentage of the additional 15 plans that outperformed the best of initial 15 plans was 20% and 27% comparing to 11%, 0% and 0%. EQI for the two potential patients were 34.5 and 32.9 and the rest of three patients were 9.9, 1.4 and 6.6. The actual improvements obtained were 28.3 and 20.5 comparing to 6.2, 0 and 0. Conclusion: TM is capable of reliably identifying the potential quality improvement of IMRT plans. It provides clinicians an effective tool to assess the trade-off between extra planning effort and achievable plan quality. This work was supported in part by NIH/NCI grant CA130814.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Automated planning of breast radiotherapy using cone beam CT imaging

Purpose: Develop and clinically validate a methodology for using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging in an automated treatment planning framework for breast IMRT. Methods: A technique for intensity correction of CBCT images was developed and evaluated. The technique is based on histogram matching of CBCT image sets, using information from “similar” planning CT image sets from a database of paired CBCT and CT image sets (n = 38). Automated treatment plans were generated for a testing subset (n = 15) on the planning CT and the corrected CBCT. The plans generated on the corrected CBCT were compared to the CT-based plans in terms of beam parameters, dosimetric indices, and dose distributions. Results: The corrected CBCT images showed considerable similarity to their corresponding planning CTs (average mutual information 1.0±0.1, average sum of absolute differences 185 ± 38). The automated CBCT-based plans were clinically acceptable, as well as equivalent to the CT-based plans with average gantry angle difference of 0.99°±1.1°, target volume overlap index (Dice) of 0.89±0.04 although with slightly higher maximum target doses (4482±90 vs 4560±84, P < 0.05). Gamma index analysis (3%, 3 mm) showed that the CBCT-based plans had the same dose distribution as plans calculated with the same beams on the registered planning CTs (average gamma index 0.12±0.04, gamma <1 in 99.4%±0.3%). Conclusions: The proposed method demonstrates the potential for a clinically feasible and efficient online adaptive breast IMRT planning method based on CBCT imaging, integrating automation.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-303: Dosimetric Comparison of a LINAC Fallback Plan Generated From Tomotherapy System

Purpose: Quantitatively evaluate the Multi Criteria Optimization (MCO) based MLC step and shoot (sMLC) fallback plan derived from Tomotherapy of multiple lesions lung SBRT Methods: Inter-comparison of various IMRT planning systems tends to be difficult due to the vendor-specific functionalities. The methodology of defining dose constraints and beam geometries is challenging. Raysearch™ planning system offers an alternative replanning to deliver same intensity map from Tomotherapy without modifying original fluence. This intuitive comparison comes from the final fluence map converted without any embedded system dependent dose optimization. This planner independent approach could be utilized to study the merits of individual machines. The term “fallback” was utilized to (A) transfer plans in among treatment delivery systems; (B) maintain acceptable plan qualities; and (C) minimize the biological dose impact due to machine breakdown. The Tomotherapy specific DICOM RT dose and plan are retrieved into Raystation’s pre-defined sMLC protocol. Based on specific machine characteristics, same fluence maps were converted to generate equivalent deliverable segments. Therefore, the treatment plans were evaluated among two planning tools, Tomotherapy and MCO based sMLC delivery plans. Results: By converting the fluence map with the pre-defined machine characteristics, the 9-fields fallback plan has similar ITV coverage compared to the original Tomotherapy plan. ITV average doses, the D95 consisted of 0.9% variation. The total lung doses of fallback plan drifted from 17.4% to 30.5% which represents the limitations of the static beam delivery. D2 of fallback spinal cord increased from 22.4% to 36.4% but still within tolerances. Ipsilateral lung changed from 11.0% to 22.6%. Low dose region between ITVs presented increased dose to the normal lung tissues. Conclusion: Acceptable fallback plan for Tomotherapy SBRT has similar ITVs coverage, but lack of the normal tissues avoidance due to the limitation of geometrical factors to reduce doses in between ITVs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-333: Dosimetric Impact of Rotational Error On the Target Coverage in IMPT Lung Cancer Plans

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of rotational (yaw, roll, and pitch) error on the planning target volume (PTV) coverage in lung cancer plans generated by intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT). Methods: In this retrospective study, computed tomography (CT) dataset of previously treated lung case was used. IMPT plan were generated on the original CT dataset using left-lateral (LL) and posterior-anterior (PA) beams for a total dose of 74 Gy[RBE] with 2 Gy[RBE] per fraction. In order to investigate the dosimetric impact of rotational error, 12 new CT datasets were generated by re-sampling the original CT dataset for rotational (roll, yaw, and pitch) angles ranged from −5° to +5°, with an increment of 2.5°. A total of 12 new IMPT plans were generated based on the re-sampled CT datasets using beam parameters identical to the ones in the original IMPT plan. All treatment plans were generated in XiO treatment planning system. The PTV coverage (i.e., dose received by 95% of the PTV volume, D95) in new IMPT plans were then compared with the PTV coverage in the original IMPT plan. Results: Rotational errors caused the reduction in the PTV coverage in all 12 new IMPT plans when compared to the original IMPT lung plan. Specifically, the PTV coverage was reduced by 4.94% to 50.51% for yaw, by 4.04% to 23.74% for roll, and by 5.21% to 46.88% for pitch errors. Conclusion: Unacceptable dosimetric results were observed in new IMPT plans as the PTV coverage was reduced by up to 26.87% and 50.51% for rotational error of 2.5° and 5°, respectively. Further investigation is underway in evaluating the PTV coverage loss in the IMPT lung cancer plans for smaller rotational angle change.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-393: Evaluation of Large Field IMRT Versus RapidArc Planning for Carcinoma Cervix with Para-Aotic Node Irradiation

Purpose: The objective of this work is to evaluate and compare Large field IMRT and RapidArc planning for Carcinoma Cervix and Para-aotic node irradiation. Methods: In this study, ten patients of Cervix with para-aotic node have been selected with PTV length 35+2cm. All plans were generated in Eclipse TPS V10.0 with Dynamic IMRT and RapidArc technique using 6MV photon energy. In IMRT planning, 7 fields were chosen to get optimal plan and in RapidArc, double Full arc clockwise and counter clockwise were used for planning. All the plans were generated with single isocenter and calculated using AAA dose algorithm. For all the cases the prescribed dose to PTV was same and the plan acceptance criteria is; 95% of the PTV volume should receive 100% prescribed dose. The tolerance doses for the OAR’s is also taken in to account. The evaluation criteria used for analysis are; 1) Homogeneity Index, 2) Conformity Index, 3) Mean Dose to OAR’s, 4)Total monitor units delivered. Results: DVH analysis were performed for both IMRT and RapidArc planning. In both the plans, 95% of PTV volume receives prescribed dose and maximum dose are less than 107%. The conformity index are same in both the techniques. The mean Homogeneity index are 1.036 and 1.053 for IMRT and RapidArc plan. The mean (mean + SD) dose of bladder and rectum in IMRT is 44.2+1.55, 42.05+2.52 and RapidArc is 46.66+1.6, 44.2+2.75 respectively. There is no significant difference found in Right Femoral head, Left Femoral head and Kidney doses. It is found that total MU’s are more in IMRT compared with RapidArc planning. Conclusion: In the case of cervix with Para-arotic node single isocenter irradiation, IMRT planning in large-field is better compared to RapidArc planning in terms of Homogeneity Index and mean dose of Bladder and Rectum.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-437: Four-Dimensional Treatment Planning for Lung VMAT-SBRT

Purpose: To assess optimal treatment planning approach of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for lung Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (VMAT-SBRT). Methods: Subjects were 10 patients with lung cancer who had undergone 4DCT. The internal target volume (ITV) volume ranged from 2.6 to 16.5cm{sup 3} and the tumor motion ranged from 0 to 2cm. From 4DCT, which was binned into 10 respiratory phases, 4 image data sets were created; maximum intensity projection (MIP), average intensity projection (AIP), AIP with the ITV replaced by 0HU (RITV-AIP) and RITV-AIP with the planning target volume (PTV) minus the internal target volume was set to −200 HU (HR-AIP). VMAT-SBRT plans were generated on each image set for a patient. 48Gy was prescribed to 95% of PTV. The plans were recalculated on all phase images of 4DCT and the dose distributions were accumulated using a deformable image registration software MIM Maestro™ as the 4D calculated dose to the gross tumor volume (GTV). The planned dose to the ITV and 4D calculated dose to the GTV were compared. Results: In AIP plan, 10 patients average of all dose parameters (D1%, D-mean, and D99%) discrepancy were 1Gy or smaller. MIP and RITV-AIP plans resulted in having common tendency and larger discrepancy than AIP plan. The 4D dose was lower than the planned dose, and 10 patients average of all dose parameters discrepancy were in range 1.3 to 2.6Gy. HR-AIP plan had the largest discrepancy in our trials. 4D calculated D1%, D-mean, and D99% were resulted in 3.0, 4.1, and 6.1Gy lower than the expected in plan, respectively. Conclusion: For all patients, the dose parameters expected in AIP plan approximated to 4D calculated. Using AIP image set seems optimal treatment planning approach of VMAT-SBRT for a mobile tumor. Funding Support: This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Core-to-Core program (No. 23003)

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

MO-F-CAMPUS-T-05: SQL Database Queries to Determine Treatment Planning Resource Usage

Purpose: A radiation oncology clinic’s treatment capacity is traditionally thought to be limited by the number of machines in the clinic. As the number of fractions per course decrease and the number of adaptive plans increase, the question of how many treatment plans a clinic can plan becomes increasingly important. This work seeks to lay the ground work for assessing treatment planning resource usage. Methods: Care path templates were created using the Aria 11 care path interface. Care path tasks included key steps in the treatment planning process from the completion of CT simulation through the first radiation treatment. SQL Server Management Studio was used to run SQL queries to extract task completion time stamps along with care path template information and diagnosis codes from the Aria database. 6 months of planning cycles were evaluated. Elapsed time was evaluated in terms of work hours within Monday – Friday, 7am to 5pm. Results: For the 195 validated treatment planning cycles, the average time for planning and MD review was 22.8 hours. Of those cases 33 were categorized as urgent. The average planning time for urgent plans was 5 hours. A strong correlation between diagnosis code and range of elapsed planning time was as well as between elapsed time and select diagnosis codes was observed. It was also observed that tasks were more likely to be completed on the date due than the time that they were due. Follow-up confirmed that most users did not look at the due time. Conclusion: Evaluation of elapsed planning time and other tasks suggest that care paths should be adjusted to allow for different contouring and planning times for certain diagnosis codes and urgent cases. Additional clinic training around task due times vs dates or a structuring of care paths around due dates is also needed.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

WE-B-304-01: Treatment Planning Evaluation and Optimization Should Be Dose/volume and Not Biologically Based

The ultimate goal of radiotherapy treatment planning is to find a treatment that will yield a high tumor control probability (TCP) with an acceptable normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Yet most treatment planning today is not based upon optimization of TCPs and NTCPs, but rather upon meeting physical dose and volume constraints defined by the planner. It has been suggested that treatment planning evaluation and optimization would be more effective if they were biologically and not dose/volume based, and this is the claim debated in this month’s Point/Counterpoint. After a brief overview of biologically and DVH based treatment planning by the Moderator Colin Orton, Joseph Deasy (for biological planning) and Charles Mayo (against biological planning) will begin the debate. Some of the arguments in support of biological planning include: this will result in more effective dose distributions for many patients DVH-based measures of plan quality are known to have little predictive value there is little evidence that either D95 or D98 of the PTV is a good predictor of tumor control sufficient validated outcome prediction models are now becoming available and should be used to drive planning and optimization Some of the arguments against biological planning include: several decades of experience with DVH-based planning should not be discarded we do not know enough about the reliability and errors associated with biological models the radiotherapy community in general has little direct experience with side by side comparisons of DVH vs biological metrics and outcomes it is unlikely that a clinician would accept extremely cold regions in a CTV or hot regions in a PTV, despite having acceptable TCP values Learning Objectives: To understand dose/volume based treatment planning and its potential limitations To understand biological metrics such as EUD, TCP, and NTCP To understand biologically based treatment planning and its potential limitations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

WE-B-304-02: Treatment Planning Evaluation and Optimization Should Be Biologically and Not Dose/volume Based

The ultimate goal of radiotherapy treatment planning is to find a treatment that will yield a high tumor control probability (TCP) with an acceptable normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Yet most treatment planning today is not based upon optimization of TCPs and NTCPs, but rather upon meeting physical dose and volume constraints defined by the planner. It has been suggested that treatment planning evaluation and optimization would be more effective if they were biologically and not dose/volume based, and this is the claim debated in this month’s Point/Counterpoint. After a brief overview of biologically and DVH based treatment planning by the Moderator Colin Orton, Joseph Deasy (for biological planning) and Charles Mayo (against biological planning) will begin the debate. Some of the arguments in support of biological planning include: this will result in more effective dose distributions for many patients DVH-based measures of plan quality are known to have little predictive value there is little evidence that either D95 or D98 of the PTV is a good predictor of tumor control sufficient validated outcome prediction models are now becoming available and should be used to drive planning and optimization Some of the arguments against biological planning include: several decades of experience with DVH-based planning should not be discarded we do not know enough about the reliability and errors associated with biological models the radiotherapy community in general has little direct experience with side by side comparisons of DVH vs biological metrics and outcomes it is unlikely that a clinician would accept extremely cold regions in a CTV or hot regions in a PTV, despite having acceptable TCP values Learning Objectives: To understand dose/volume based treatment planning and its potential limitations To understand biological metrics such as EUD, TCP, and NTCP To understand biologically based treatment planning and its potential limitations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

WE-B-304-03: Biological Treatment Planning

The ultimate goal of radiotherapy treatment planning is to find a treatment that will yield a high tumor control probability (TCP) with an acceptable normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Yet most treatment planning today is not based upon optimization of TCPs and NTCPs, but rather upon meeting physical dose and volume constraints defined by the planner. It has been suggested that treatment planning evaluation and optimization would be more effective if they were biologically and not dose/volume based, and this is the claim debated in this month’s Point/Counterpoint. After a brief overview of biologically and DVH based treatment planning by the Moderator Colin Orton, Joseph Deasy (for biological planning) and Charles Mayo (against biological planning) will begin the debate. Some of the arguments in support of biological planning include: this will result in more effective dose distributions for many patients DVH-based measures of plan quality are known to have little predictive value there is little evidence that either D95 or D98 of the PTV is a good predictor of tumor control sufficient validated outcome prediction models are now becoming available and should be used to drive planning and optimization Some of the arguments against biological planning include: several decades of experience with DVH-based planning should not be discarded we do not know enough about the reliability and errors associated with biological models the radiotherapy community in general has little direct experience with side by side comparisons of DVH vs biological metrics and outcomes it is unlikely that a clinician would accept extremely cold regions in a CTV or hot regions in a PTV, despite having acceptable TCP values Learning Objectives: To understand dose/volume based treatment planning and its potential limitations To understand biological metrics such as EUD, TCP, and NTCP To understand biologically based treatment planning and its potential limitations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-F-J-101: Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Planning for Primary Prostate Cancer with Selective Intraprostatic Boost Determined by 18F-Choline PET/CT

Purpose: To investigate the utility of {sup 18}F-choline positron emission tomography (PET) scans guidance for SBRT dose painting in patients with prostate cancer and its impact on tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP). Methods: Twenty seven patients with localized prostate cancer who had {sup 18}F-choline PET/CT scan prior to treatment were included. A pair of nested intraprostatic dominant lesion (IDL) contours (IDL{sub suv60%} and IDL{sub suv70%}) were generated for each patient based on 60% and 70% of maximum prostate uptake on the {sup 18}F-choline PET images. GTV{sub reg} was delineated on prostate according to the gland boundary seen on CT images. The PTVs (PTV{sub suv60%} and PTV{sub suv70%}) were defined as respective IDLs with a 3-mm margin posteriorly and 5 mm in all other dimensions. Two 5-fraction SBRT plans using VMAT technique along with 10 MV FFF beams, plan{sub 36Gy} and plan{sub 50–55Gy}, were generated for each patient. All plans included a dose of 36.25 Gy prescribed to PTV{sub reg}. The Plan{sub 50–55Gy} also included a simultaneous boost dose of 50 Gy and 55 Gy prescribed to the PTV{sub suv60%} and PTV{sub suv70%}, respectively. The utility of {sup 18}F-Choline PET-guided SBRT dose escalation was evaluated by its ability to achieve the prescription dose objectives while adhering to organ-at-risk (OAR) dose constraints. The TCP and NTCP calculated by radiological models were also compared between two plans for each patient. Results: In all 54 SBRT plans generated, the planning objectives and dose constraints were met without exception. Plan{sub 50–55Gy} had a significantly higher dose in PTV{sub suv60%} and PTV{sub suv70%} than those in Plan{sub 36Gy} (p < 0.05), respectively, while still maintaining a safe OAR sparing profile. In addition, plan{sub 50–55Gy} had significantly higher TCP than plan{sub 36Gy}. Conclusion: Using VMAT with FFF beams to incorporate a simultaneous {sup 18}F-choline PET-guided radiation boost dose up to 55 Gy into a SBRT plan is technically feasible. This work was supported in part by Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Prostate Cancer Research Program grant PC04130, National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute grant R41CA110121, and the UNLV Lincy Endowed Assistant Professorship.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-F-T-101: Insight into Dosimetry Workload and Planning Timelines: A 6 Year Review at One Institution

Purpose: To elucidate realistic clinical treatment planning workload and timelines to improve understanding for patients, payers, and other institutions involved in radiotherapy processes. Methods: A web based tool was developed using Oracle Express (Oracle Corp, Redwood City, CA) which allowed communication between the physicians and staff about the current state of the patient plan. For 6 years, all patient courses were logged and time-stamped in 22 discreet steps which detailed start and stop times for simulation, contouring, and treatment planning tasks. This data was combined with the treatment planning database (TPDB) using the Eclipse Scripting API (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) to cross-identify plans between the two systems. This time data was analyzed across our dosimetry staff and treatment modality. Results: In 6 years, 110,477 patient statuses were time-logged for 9683 courses of treatment using our internal software. The courses contained 8305 unique patients who were binned into one of 11 diagnosis site categories. 8253 courses could be reconciled against the TPDB using timestamp data from patient statuses. The average planning volume per dosimetrist was 375.8 ± 142.4 plans per year with the average number of planning revisions per dosimetrist of 71.0 ± 27.1 plans per year. The median treatment planning times by modality ranged from to 48.3 hours for IMRT plans 5 fields or less to 119.6 hours for IMRT with 8 or more fields. Two arc VMAT, three arc VMAT, and 3D plans median times were 89.1 hours, 113.8 hours, and 50.9 hours respectively. Conclusion: Using our web based tool, we have demonstrated the ability to quantify treatment planning timelines and workloads which could help in setting appropriate expectations for patients, payers, and hospital administration. COI: Author received monies from Varian Medical Systems for research and teaching honorarium.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-F-T-256: 4D IMRT Planning Using An Early Prototype GPU-Enabled Eclipse Workstation

Purpose: True 4D IMRT planning, based on simultaneous spatiotemporal optimization has been shown to significantly improve plan quality in lung radiotherapy. However, the high computational complexity associated with such planning represents a significant barrier to widespread clinical deployment. We introduce an early prototype GPU-enabled Eclipse workstation for inverse planning. To our knowledge, this is the first GPUintegrated Eclipse system demonstrating the potential for clinical translation of GPU computing on a major commercially-available TPS. Methods: The prototype system comprised of four NVIDIA Tesla K80 GPUs, with a maximum processing capability of 8.5 Tflops per K80 card. The system architecture consisted of three key modules: (i) a GPU-based inverse planning module using a highly-parallelizable, swarm intelligence-based global optimization algorithm, (ii) a GPU-based open-source b-spline deformable image registration module, Elastix, and (iii) a CUDA-based data management module. For evaluation, aperture fluence weights in an IMRT plan were optimized over 9 beams,166 apertures and 10 respiratory phases (14940 variables) for a lung cancer case (GTV = 95 cc, right lower lobe, 15 mm cranio-caudal motion). Sensitivity of the planning time and memory expense to parameter variations was quantified. Results: GPU-based inverse planning was significantly accelerated compared to its CPU counterpart (36 vs 488 min, for 10 phases, 10 search agents and 10 iterations). The optimized IMRT plan significantly improved OAR sparing compared to the original internal target volume (ITV)-based clinical plan, while maintaining prescribed tumor coverage. The dose-sparing improvements were: Esophagus Dmax 50%, Heart Dmax 42% and Spinal cord Dmax 25%. Conclusion: Our early prototype system demonstrates that through massive parallelization, computationally intense tasks such as 4D treatment planning can be accomplished in clinically feasible timeframes. With further optimization, such systems are expected to enable the eventual clinical translation of higher-dimensional and complex treatment planning strategies to significantly improve plan quality. This work was partially supported through research funding from National Institutes of Health (R01CA169102) and Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA, USA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-F-T-343: Dosimetric Investigation for Fluence Smoothing On VMAT Plans in Monaco for Head - Neck Cancers

Purpose: The study investigates the effect of fluence smoothing parameter on VMAT plans for ten head-neck cancer patients using Monaco5.00.04. Methods: VMAT plans were created using Monaco5.00.04 planning system for 10 head-neck patients. Four plans were generated for each patient using available smoothing parameters i.e. high, medium, low and off. The number of monitor units required to deliver 1 cGy was defined as a modulation degree; and was taken as a measure of plan complexity. Routinely used plan quality parameters Conformity index (CI) and Homogeneity index (HI) were used in the study. As a protocol our center, practices “medium” smoothing for clinical implementation. Plans with medium smoothing were opted as reference plans due to the clinical acceptance and dosimetric verifications made on these plans. Plans were generated by varying the smoothing parameter and re-optimization was done. The PTV was evaluated for D98%, D95%, D50%, D1% and prescription isodose volume (PIV). For critical organs; spine and parotids the parameters recorded were D1cc and Dmean respectively. Results: The cohort had the median prescription as 6000 cGy in the range of 6600 cGy - 4500 cGy. The modulation degree was observed to increase up to 6% from reference to the most complex plan. High smoothing had about 11% increase in segments which marginally (0.5 to 1%) increased the homogeneity index while conformity index remains constant. For spine the maximum D1cc was observed in medium smoothing as 4639.8 cGy, this plan was clinically accepted and dosimetrically verified. Similarly for parotids, the Dmean was 2011.9 cGy and 1817.05 cGy. Conclusion: The sensitivity of plan quality in terms of smoothing options (high, medium, low and off) available in Monaco 5.00.04 was resulted in minimal difference in terms of target coverage, conformity index and homogeneity index. Similarly changing smoothing did not result in any enhanced advantage in sparing of critical organs.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗