Dosimetric feasibility of real-time MRI-guided proton therapy

Future of medical physics: Real-time MRI-guided proton therapy

With the recent clinical implementation of real-time MRI-guided x-ray beam therapy (MRXT), attention is turning to the concept of combining real-time MRI guidance with proton beam therapy; MRI-guided proton beam therapy (MRPT). MRI guidance for proton beam therapy is expected to offer a compelling improvement to the current treatment workflow which is warranted arguably more than for x-ray beam therapy. This argument is born out of the fact that proton therapy toxicity outcomes are similar to that of the most advanced IMRT treatments, despite being a fundamentally superior particle for cancer treatment. In this Future of Medical Physics article, we describe the various software and hardware aspects of potential MRPT systems and the corresponding treatment workflow. Significant software developments, particularly focused around adaptive MRI-based planning will be required. The magnetic interaction between the MRI and the proton beamline components will be a key area of focus. For example, the modeling and potential redesign of a magnetically compatible gantry to allow for beam delivery from multiple angles towards a patient located within the bore of an MRI scanner. Further to this, the accuracy of pencil beam scanning and beam monitoring in the presence of an MRI fringe field will require modeling, testing, and potential further development to ensure that the highly targeted radiotherapy is maintained. Looking forward we envisage a clear and accelerated path for hardware development, leveraging from lessons learnt from MRXT development. Within few years, simple prototype systems will likely exist, and in a decade, we could envisage coupled systems with integrated gantries. Such milestones will be key in the development of a more efficient, more accurate, and more successful form of proton beam therapy for many common cancer sites.

The future of image-guided radiotherapy will be MR guided

Advances in image-guided radiotherapy (RT) have allowed for dose escalation and more precise radiation treatment delivery. Each decade brings new imaging technologies to help improve RT patient setup. Currently, the most frequently used method of three-dimensional pre-treatment image verification is performed with cone beam CT. However, more recent developments have provided RT with the ability to have on-board MRI coupled to the teleradiotherapy unit. This latest tool for treating cancer is known as MR-guided RT. Several varieties of these units have been designed and installed in centres across the globe. Their prevalence, history, advantages and disadvantages are discussed in this review article. In preparation for the next generation of image-guided RT, this review also covers where MR-guided RT might be heading in the near future.

Investigation of dosimetric variations of liver radiotherapy using deformable registration of planning CT and cone-beam CT

Many patients with technically unresectable or medically inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) had hepatic anatomy variations as a result of interfraction deformation during fractionated radiotherapy. We conducted this retrospective study to investigate interfractional normal liver dosimetric consequences via reconstructing weekly dose in HCC patients. Twenty‐three patients with HCC received conventional fractionated three‐dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) were enrolled in this retrospective investigation. Among them, seven patients had been diagnosed of radiation‐induced liver disease (RILD) and the other 16 patients had good prognosis after treatment course. The cone‐beam CT (CBCT) scans were acquired once weekly for each patient throughout the treatment, deformable image registration (DIR) of planning CT (pCT) and CBCT was performed to acquire modified CBCT (mCBCT), and the structural contours were propagated by the DIR. The same plan was applied to mCBCT to perform dose calculation. Weekly dose distribution was displayed on the pCT dose space and compared using dose difference, target coverage, and dose volume histograms. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the significant dosimetric variations. Among the 23 patients, the three weekly normal liver D₅₀ increased by 0.2 Gy, 4.2 Gy, and 4.7 Gy, respectively, for patients with RILD, and 1.0 Gy, 2.7 Gy, and 3.1 Gy, respectively, for patients without RILD. Mean dose to the normal liver (D_mean) increased by 0.5 Gy, 2.6 Gy, and 4.0 Gy, respectively, for patients with RILD, and 0.4 Gy, 3.1 Gy, and 3.4 Gy, respectively, for patients without RILD. Regarding patients with RILD, the average values of the third weekly D₅₀ and D_mean were both over hepatic radiation tolerance, while the values of patients without RILD were below. The dosimetric consequence showed that the liver dose between patients with and without RILD were different relative to the planned dose, and the RILD patients suffered from liver dose over hepatic radiation tolerance. Evaluation of routinely acquired CBCT images during radiation therapy provides biological information on the organs at risk, and dose estimation based on mCBCT could potentially form the basis for personalized response adaptive therapy.

Individualized radiotherapy by combining high-end irradiation and magnetic resonance imaging

Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) has been integrated into daily clinical routine and can today be considered the standard especially with high-dose radiotherapy. Currently imaging is based on MV- or kV-CT, which has clear limitations especially in soft-tissue contrast. Thus, combination of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and high-end radiotherapy opens a new horizon. The intricate technical properties of MR imagers pose a challenge to technology when combined with radiation technology. Several solutions that are almost ready for routine clinical application have been developed. The clinical questions include dose-escalation strategies, monitoring of changes during treatment as well as imaging without additional radiation exposure during treatment.