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Marano J, Kissick MW, Underwood TSA, Laub SJ, Lis M, Schreuder AN, Kreydick B, Pankuch M. Relative thoracic changes from supine to upright patient position: A proton collaborative group study. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2023; 24:e14129. [PMID: 37633842 PMCID: PMC10691637 DOI: 10.1002/acm2.14129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
This study presents position changes of a few radiotherapy-relevant thoracic organs between upright and typical supine patient orientations. Using tools in a commercial treatment planning system (TPS), key anatomical distances were measured for four-dimensional CT data sets and analyzed for the two patient orientations. The uncertainty was calculated as the 95% confidence interval (CI) on the relative difference for each of the four analyzed changes for upright relative to supine, as follows: the distance of the bottom of the heart to the top of the sternum, it changed +2.6% or +4 mm (95% CI [+0.30%,+4.9%]); the distance of the center of the C3 vertebra to the backrest, it changed +29% (95% CI [+22%,+36%]); the contoured left and right lungs increased their volumes respectively: +17% (95% CI [+12%,+21%]) for the left, and +9.9% (95% CI [+4.1%,+16%]); and lastly, the distance from the top of the sternum to the top of the liver, but its uncertainty far exceeded the average change by a factor of two. This last result is therefore inconclusive, the others show that with 95% confidence that a change in internal positions is observed for lung volumes and heart position that could be important for upright treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Marano
- Department of Medical PhysicsNorthwestern Medicine Proton CenterWarrenvilleIllinoisUSA
| | | | | | - Steven J. Laub
- Department of Medical PhysicsNorthwestern Medicine Proton CenterWarrenvilleIllinoisUSA
| | | | | | - Brad Kreydick
- Department of Medical PhysicsNorthwestern Medicine Proton CenterWarrenvilleIllinoisUSA
| | - Mark Pankuch
- Department of Medical PhysicsNorthwestern Medicine Proton CenterWarrenvilleIllinoisUSA
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2
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Schreuder A(N, Hsi W, Greenhalgh J, Kissick M, Lis M, Underwood TSA, Freeman H, Bauer M, Towe S, Mackie R. Anatomical changes in the male pelvis between the supine and upright positions-A feasibility study for prostate treatments in the upright position. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2023; 24:e14099. [PMID: 37488974 PMCID: PMC10647982 DOI: 10.1002/acm2.14099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Treating and imaging patients in the upright orientation is gaining acceptance in radiation oncology and radiology and has distinct advantages over the recumbent position. An IRB approved study to investigate the positions and orientations of the male pelvic organs between the supine and upright positions was conducted. The study comprised of scanning 15 male volunteers (aged 55-75 years) on a 0.6 T Fonar MRI scanner in the supine and upright positions with a full bladder and in the upright position with an empty bladder. The Pelvic study revealed that in the upright position the 1. Position and shape of the prostate are not impacted significantly by bladder fill. 2. Distance between the sacrum and the anterior bladder wall is significantly smaller. 3. Anterior-Posterior length and the bladder width is significantly larger. 4. Seminal vesicles are pushed down by the bladder. 5. Top of the penile bulb is further away from the apex of the prostate. These observed differences could positively impact upright prostate treatments by 1. Reducing the risk of small bowel approximating the treatment volume. 2. Prostate treatments can be done with a reduced focus on bladder fill. 3. Radiation beams for treating intermediate risk prostrate can be made smaller or a larger portion of the seminal vesicles can be treated with the same beam size than typically used for supine treatments. 4. Reducing the average dose to the penile bulb.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wen‐Chien Hsi
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)Department of Radiation OncologyLittle Rock, ArkansasUSA
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3
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Henthorn NT, Gardner LL, Aitkenhead AH, Rowland BC, Shin J, Smith EAK, Merchant MJ, Mackay RI, Kirkby KJ, Chaudhary P, Prise KM, McMahon SJ, Underwood TSA. Proposing a Clinical Model for RBE Based on Proton Track-End Counts. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2023; 116:916-926. [PMID: 36642109 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.12.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE In proton therapy, the clinical application of linear energy transfer (LET) optimization remains contentious, in part because of challenges associated with the definition and calculation of LET and its exact relationship with relative biological effectiveness (RBE) because of large variation in experimental in vitro data. This has raised interest in other metrics with favorable properties for biological optimization, such as the number of proton track ends in a voxel. In this work, we propose a novel model for clinical calculations of RBE, based on proton track end counts. METHODS AND MATERIALS We developed an effective dose concept to translate between the total proton track-end count per unit mass in a voxel and a proton RBE value. Dose, track end, and dose-averaged LET (LETd) distributions were simulated using Monte Carlo models for a series of water phantoms, in vitro radiobiological studies, and patient treatment plans. We evaluated the correlation between track ends and regions of elevated biological effectiveness in comparison to LETd-based models of RBE. RESULTS Track ends were found to correlate with biological effects in in vitro experiments with an accuracy comparable to LETd. In patient simulations, our track end model identified the same biological hotspots as predicted by LETd-based radiobiological models of proton RBE. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that, for clinical optimization and evaluation, an RBE model based on proton track end counts may match LETd-based models in terms of information provided while also offering superior statistical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas T Henthorn
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom.
| | - Lydia L Gardner
- Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Adam H Aitkenhead
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin C Rowland
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Jungwook Shin
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Edward A K Smith
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Merchant
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ranald I Mackay
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Karen J Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Pankaj Chaudhary
- Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Kevin M Prise
- Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J McMahon
- Patrick G. Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Tracy S A Underwood
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom; Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom; Leo Cancer Care Ltd, Unit 1 Woodbridge House, Chapel Rd, Smallfield, Horley RH6 9NW, United Kingdom
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4
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Schreuder AN, Paragios N, Kissick M, Lis M, Underwood TSA, Mackie R. The use of image synthesis techniques in target and roi delineation in the upright position. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2023:e14079. [PMID: 37345588 PMCID: PMC10402665 DOI: 10.1002/acm2.14079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of multi-modality imaging technologies such as CT, MRI, and PET imaging is state of the art for radiation therapy treatment planning. Except for a limited number of low magnetic field MR scanners the majority of such imaging technologies can only image the patient in a recumbent position. Delivering radiation therapy treatments with the patient in an upright orientation has many benefits and several companies are now developing upright patient positioners combined with upright diagnostic helical CT scanners to facilitate upright radiation therapy treatments. Due to the directional changes in the gravitational forces on the patient's body, most structures and organs will change position and shape between the recumbent and upright positions. Detailed knowledge about such structures and organs are therefore often only available in the recumbent position. The problem statement is therefore well defined, that is, how do we know where such structures and organs, that is, the target or region at risk volumes, are in the upright position if those cannot be identified and or delineated accurately enough using the upright diagnostic quality CT images only? This paper outlines two methods based on synthetic CT or MR images to overcome this problem.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Tracy S A Underwood
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Leo Cancer Care, London, UK
| | - Rockwell Mackie
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Leo Cancer Care, London, UK
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5
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Smith EAK, Winterhalter C, Underwood TSA, Aitkenhead AH, Richardson JC, Merchant MJ, Kirkby NF, Kirby KJ, Mackay RI. A Monte Carlo study of different LET definitions and calculation parameters for proton beam therapy. Biomed Phys Eng Express 2021; 8. [PMID: 34874308 DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/ac3f50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The strongin vitroevidence that proton Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) varies with Linear Energy Transfer (LET) has led to an interest in applying LET within treatment planning. However, there is a lack of consensus on LET definition, Monte Carlo (MC) parameters or clinical methodology. This work aims to investigate how common variations of LET definition may affect potential clinical applications. MC simulations (GATE/GEANT4) were used to calculate absorbed dose and different types of LET for a simple Spread Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) and for four clinical PBT plans covering a range of tumour sites. Variations in the following LET calculation methods were considered: (i) averaging (dose-averaged LET (LETd) & track-averaged LET); (ii) scoring (LETdto water, to medium and to mass density); (iii) particle inclusion (LETdto all protons, to primary protons and to particles); (iv) MC settings (hit type and Maximum Step Size (MSS)). LET distributions were compared using: qualitative comparison, LET Volume Histograms (LVHs), single value criteria (maximum and mean values) and optimised LET-weighted dose models. Substantial differences were found between LET values in averaging, scoring and particle type. These differences depended on the methodology, but for one patient a difference of ∼100% was observed between the maximum LETdfor all particles and maximum LETdfor all protons within the brainstem in the high isodose region (4 keVμm-1and 8 keVμm-1respectively). An RBE model using LETdincluding heavier ions was found to predict substantially different LET-weighted dose compared to those using other LET definitions. In conclusion, the selection of LET definition may affect the results of clinical metrics considered in treatment planning and the results of an RBE model. The authors' advocate for the scoring of dose-averaged LET to water for primary and secondary protons using a random hit type and automated MSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A K Smith
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Carla Winterhalter
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Tracy S A Underwood
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Adam H Aitkenhead
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Jenny C Richardson
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J Merchant
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Norman F Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Karen J Kirby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ranald I Mackay
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
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6
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Georgiou G, Kumar S, Würfel JU, Gilmore M, Underwood TSA, Rowbottom CG, Fenwick JD. The PTW microSilicon diode: Performance in small 6 and 15 MV photon fields and utility of density compensation. Med Phys 2021; 48:8062-8074. [PMID: 34725831 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE We have experimentally and computationally characterized the PTW microSilicon 60023-type diode's performance in 6 and 15 MV photon fields ≥5 × 5 mm2 projected to isocenter. We tested the detector on- and off-axis at 5 and 15 cm depths in water, and investigated whether its response could be improved by including within it a thin airgap. METHODS Experimentally, detector readings were taken in fields generated by a Varian TrueBeam linac and compared with doses-to-water measured using Gafchromic film and ionization chambers. An unmodified 60023-type diode was tested along with detectors modified to include 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mm thick airgaps. Computationally, doses absorbed by water and detectors' sensitive volumes were calculated using the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Detector response was characterized using k Q c l i n , 4 cm f c l i n , 4 cm , a factor that corrects for differences in the ratio of dose-to-water to detector reading between small fields and the reference condition, in this study 5 cm deep on-axis in a 4 × 4 cm2 field. RESULTS The greatest errors in measurements of small field doses made using uncorrected readings from the unmodified 60023-type detector were over-responses of 2.6% ± 0.5% and 5.3% ± 2.0% determined computationally and experimentally, relative to the reading-per-dose in the reference field. Corresponding largest errors for the earlier 60017-type detector were 11.9% ± 0.6% and 11.7% ± 1.4% over-responses. Adding even the thinnest, 0.6 mm, airgap to the 60023-type detector over-corrected it, leading to under-responses of up to 4.8% ± 0.6% and 5.0% ± 1.8% determined computationally and experimentally. Further, Monte Carlo calculations indicate that a detector with a 0.3 mm airgap would read correctly to within 1.3% on-axis. The ratio of doses at 15 and 5 cm depths in water in a 6 MV 4 × 4 cm2 field was measured more accurately using the unmodified 60023-type detector than using the 60017-type detector, and was within 0.3% of the ratio measured using an ion chamber. The 60023-type diode's sensitivity also varied negligibly as dose-rate was reduced from 13 to 4 Gy min-1 by decreasing the linac pulse repetition frequency, whereas the sensitivity of the 60017-type detector fell by 1.5%. CONCLUSIONS The 60023-type detector performed well in small fields across a wide range of beam energies, field sizes, depths, and off-axis positions. Its response can potentially be further improved by adding a thin, 0.3 mm, airgap.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Georgiou
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Wirral, UK.,Department of Physics, Oliver Lodge Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Sudhir Kumar
- Radiological Physics and Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India
| | | | - Martyn Gilmore
- Department of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Wirral, UK
| | - Tracy S A Underwood
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Carl G Rowbottom
- Department of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Wirral, UK.,Department of Physics, Oliver Lodge Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - John D Fenwick
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Department of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Wirral, UK
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7
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Sørensen BS, Pawelke J, Bauer J, Burnet NG, Dasu A, Høyer M, Karger CP, Krause M, Schwarz M, Underwood TSA, Wagenaar D, Whitfield GA, Lühr A. Does the uncertainty in relative biological effectiveness affect patient treatment in proton therapy? Radiother Oncol 2021; 163:177-184. [PMID: 34480959 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2021.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Clinical treatment with protons uses the concept of relative biological effectiveness (RBE) to convert the absorbed dose into an RBE-weighted dose that equals the dose for radiotherapy with photons causing the same biological effect. Currently, in proton therapy a constant RBE of 1.1 is generically used. However, empirical data indicate that the RBE is not constant, but increases at the distal edge of the proton beam. This increase in RBE is of concern, as the clinical impact is still unresolved, and clinical studies demonstrating a clinical effect of an increased RBE are emerging. Within the European Particle Therapy Network (EPTN) work package 6 on radiobiology and RBE, a workshop was held in February 2020 in Manchester with one day of discussion dedicated to the impact of proton RBE in a clinical context. Current data on RBE effects, patient outcome and modelling from experimental as well as clinical studies were presented and discussed. Furthermore, representatives from European clinical proton therapy centres, who were involved in patient treatment, laid out their current clinical practice on how to consider the risk of a variable RBE in their centres. In line with the workshop, this work considers the actual impact of RBE issues on patient care in proton therapy by reviewing preclinical data on the relation between linear energy transfer (LET) and RBE, current clinical data sets on RBE effects in patients, and applied clinical strategies to manage RBE uncertainties. A better understanding of the variability in RBE would allow development of proton treatments which are safer and more effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brita S Sørensen
- Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark; Experimental Clinical Oncology - Department of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Jörg Pawelke
- OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany; Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Institute of Radiooncology-OncoRay, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julia Bauer
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO) and National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Alexandru Dasu
- The Skandion Clinic, Uppsala, Sweden; Medical Radiation Sciences, Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Morten Høyer
- Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christian P Karger
- Dept. of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO) and National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mechthild Krause
- OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany; Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf (HZDR), Institute of Radiooncology-OncoRay, Dresden, Germany; German Cancer Consortium Dresden and German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, Germany; Dept. of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine C.G. Carus, Dresden, Germany; National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden, German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine C.G. Carus Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
| | - Marco Schwarz
- Protontherapy Department -Trento Hospital, and TIFPA-INFN, Trento, Italy
| | - Tracy S A Underwood
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Manchester, UK
| | - Dirk Wagenaar
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Gillian A Whitfield
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; University of Manchester, UK
| | - Armin Lühr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
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8
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Georgiou G, Kumar S, Würfel JU, Underwood TSA, Thompson JM, Hill MA, Rowbottom CG, Fenwick JD. Density compensated diodes for small field dosimetry: comprehensive testing and implications for design. Phys Med Biol 2020; 65:155011. [PMID: 32392539 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ab91d9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE In small megavoltage photon fields, the accuracies of an unmodified PTW 60017-type diode dosimeter and six diodes modified by adding airgaps of thickness 0.6-1.6 mm and diameter 3.6 mm have been comprehensively characterized experimentally and computationally. The optimally thick airgap for density compensation was determined, and detectors were micro-CT imaged to investigate differences between experimentally measured radiation responses and those predicted computationally. METHODS Detectors were tested on- and off-axis, at 5 and 15 cm depths in 6 and 15 MV fields ≥ 0.5 × 0.5 cm2. Computational studies were carried out using the EGSnrc/BEAMnrc Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Experimentally, radiation was delivered using a Varian TrueBeam linac and doses absorbed by water were measured using Gafchromic EBT3 film and ionization chambers, and compared with diode readings. Detector response was characterized via the [Formula: see text] formalism, choosing a 4 × 4 cm2 reference field. RESULTS For the unmodified 60017 diode, the maximum error in small field doses obtained from diode readings uncorrected by [Formula: see text] factors was determined as 11.9% computationally at +0.25 mm off-axis and 5 cm depth in a 15 MV 0.5 × 0.5 cm2 field, and 11.7% experimentally at -0.30 mm off-axis and 5 cm depth in the same field. A detector modified to include a 1.6 mm thick airgap performed best, with maximum computationally and experimentally determined errors of 2.2% and 4.1%. The 1.6 mm airgap deepened the modified dosimeter's effective point of measurement by 0.5 mm. For some detectors significant differences existed between responses in small fields determined computationally and experimentally, micro-CT imaging indicating that these differences were due to within-tolerance variations in the thickness of an epoxy resin layer. CONCLUSIONS The dosimetric performance of a 60017 diode detector was comprehensively improved throughout 6 and 15 MV small photon fields via density compensation. For this approach to work well with good detector-to-detector reproducibility, tolerances on dense component dimensions should be reduced to limit associated variations of response in small fields, or these components should be modified to have more water-like densities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Georgiou
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, The Sherrington Building, Ashton Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, United Kingdom. Department of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Clatterbridge Road, Wirral CH63 4JY, United Kingdom. Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oliver Lodge Laboratory, Oxford Street, Liverpool L69 7ZE, United Kingdom
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9
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Smith EAK, Henthorn NT, Warmenhoven JW, Ingram SP, Aitkenhead AH, Richardson JC, Sitch P, Chadwick AL, Underwood TSA, Merchant MJ, Burnet NG, Kirkby NF, Kirkby KJ, Mackay RI. In Silico Models of DNA Damage and Repair in Proton Treatment Planning: A Proof of Concept. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19870. [PMID: 31882690 PMCID: PMC6934522 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56258-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
There is strong in vitro cell survival evidence that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of protons is variable, with dependence on factors such as linear energy transfer (LET) and dose. This is coupled with the growing in vivo evidence, from post-treatment image change analysis, of a variable RBE. Despite this, a constant RBE of 1.1 is still applied as a standard in proton therapy. However, there is a building clinical interest in incorporating a variable RBE. Recently, correlations summarising Monte Carlo-based mechanistic models of DNA damage and repair with absorbed dose and LET have been published as the Manchester mechanistic (MM) model. These correlations offer an alternative path to variable RBE compared to the more standard phenomenological models. In this proof of concept work, these correlations have been extended to acquire RBE-weighted dose distributions and calculated, along with other RBE models, on a treatment plan. The phenomenological and mechanistic models for RBE have been shown to produce comparable results with some differences in magnitude and relative distribution. The mechanistic model found a large RBE for misrepair, which phenomenological models are unable to do. The potential of the MM model to predict multiple endpoints presents a clear advantage over phenomenological models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A K Smith
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. .,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
| | - N T Henthorn
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - J W Warmenhoven
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - S P Ingram
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - A H Aitkenhead
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - J C Richardson
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - P Sitch
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - A L Chadwick
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - T S A Underwood
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - M J Merchant
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - N G Burnet
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - N F Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - K J Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - R I Mackay
- Division of Cancer Sciences, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
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Fenwick JD, Georgiou G, Rowbottom CG, Underwood TSA, Kumar S. Reply to comment on ‘origins of the changing detector response in small megavoltage photon radiation fields’. Phys Med Biol 2018; 63:198002. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aae0e4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Fenwick JD, Georgiou G, Rowbottom CG, Underwood TSA, Kumar S, Nahum AE. Origins of the changing detector response in small megavoltage photon radiation fields. Phys Med Biol 2018; 63:125003. [PMID: 29757158 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aac478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Differences in detector response between measured small fields, f clin, and wider reference fields, f msr , can be overcome by using correction factors [Formula: see text] or by designing detectors with field-size invariant responses. The changing response in small fields is caused by perturbations of the electron fluence within the detector sensitive volume. For solid-state detectors, it has recently been suggested that these perturbations might be caused by the non-water-equivalent effective atomic numbers Z of detector materials, rather than by their non-water-like densities. Using the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code we have analyzed the response of a PTW 60017 diode detector in a 6 MV beam, calculating the [Formula: see text] correction factor from computed doses absorbed by water and by the detector sensitive volume in 0.5 × 0.5 and 4 × 4 cm2 fields. In addition to the 'real' detector, fully modelled according to the manufacturer's blue-prints, we calculated doses and [Formula: see text] factors for a 'Z → water' detector variant in which mass stopping-powers and microscopic interaction coefficients were set to those of water while preserving real material densities, and for a 'density → 1' variant in which densities were set to 1 g cm-3, leaving mass stopping-powers and interaction coefficients at real levels. [Formula: see text] equalled 0.910 ± 0.005 (2 standard deviations) for the real detector, was insignificantly different at 0.912 ± 0.005 for the 'Z → H2O' variant, but equalled 1.012 ± 0.006 for the 'density → 1' variant. For the 60017 diode in a 6 MV beam, then, [Formula: see text] was determined primarily by the detector's density rather than its atomic composition. Further calculations showed this remained the case in a 15 MV beam. Interestingly, the sensitive volume electron fluence was perturbed more by detector atomic composition than by density; however, the density-dependent perturbation varied with field-size, whereas the Z-dependent perturbation was relatively constant, little affecting [Formula: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Fenwick
- Department of Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, The Sherrington Building, Ashton Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, United Kingdom. Department of Physics, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Clatterbridge Road, Wirral CH63 4JY, United Kingdom
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Underwood TSA, Grassberger C, Bass R, MacDonald SM, Meyersohn NM, Yeap BY, Jimenez RB, Paganetti H. Asymptomatic Late-phase Radiographic Changes Among Chest-Wall Patients Are Associated With a Proton RBE Exceeding 1.1. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2018; 101:809-819. [PMID: 29976493 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2018.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2017] [Revised: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Clinical practice assumes a fixed proton relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 1.1, but in vitro experiments demonstrate higher RBEs at the distal edge of the proton spread-out Bragg peak, that is, in a region that falls within the lung for chest-wall patients. We performed retrospective qualitative and quantitative analyses of lung-density changes-indicative of asymptomatic fibrosis-for chest-wall patients treated with protons or photons. Our null hypothesis was that, assuming a fixed RBE of 1.1, these changes would be the same for the 2 cohorts, supporting current RBE practice. Our alternative hypothesis was that radiographic abnormalities would be greater for the proton cohort, suggesting an RBE > 1.1. METHODS AND MATERIALS We analyzed follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans for 20 proton and photon patients. All were prescribed 50.4 Gy (RBE) in 28 fractions, assuming a fixed RBE of 1.1 for protons and 1 for photons. Deformable registrations enabled us to calculate density changes in the normal lung, specifically (1) median Hounsfield unit (HU) values among posttreatment CT scans and (2) changes in median HU values between pretreatment and posttreatment CT scans, both as a function of grays (RBE). In addition, qualitative abnormality grading was performed by a radiologist. RESULTS Proton patients exhibited higher values of HU/Gy (RBE) (endpoint 1) and ΔHU/Gy (RBE) (endpoint 2): P = .049 and P = .00019, respectively, were obtained (likelihood ratio tests of full linear mixed-effects models against models without "modality"). Furthermore, qualitative radiologic scoring indicated a significant difference between the cohorts (Wilcoxon P = .018; median score, 3 of 9 for protons and 1.5 of 9 for photons). CONCLUSIONS Our data support the hypothesis that the proton RBE for lung-density changes exceeds 1.1. This RBE elevation could be attributable to (1) the late, normal tissue endpoint that we consider or (2) end-of-range proton linear energy transfer elevation-or a combination of the two. Regardless, our results suggest that variations in proton RBE prove important in vivo as well as in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy S A Underwood
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Clemens Grassberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rhedise Bass
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Shannon M MacDonald
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Nandini M Meyersohn
- Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Beow Y Yeap
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Rachel B Jimenez
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Harald Paganetti
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Underwood TSA, Sung W, McFadden CH, McMahon SJ, Hall DC, McNamara AL, Paganetti H, Sawakuchi GO, Schuemann J. Comparing stochastic proton interactions simulated using TOPAS-nBio to experimental data from fluorescent nuclear track detectors. Phys Med Biol 2017; 62:3237-3249. [PMID: 28350546 PMCID: PMC8627280 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aa6429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Whilst Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of proton energy deposition have been well-validated at the macroscopic level, their microscopic validation remains lacking. Equally, no gold-standard yet exists for experimental metrology of individual proton tracks. In this work we compare the distributions of stochastic proton interactions simulated using the TOPAS-nBio MC platform against confocal microscope data for Al2O3:C,Mg fluorescent nuclear track detectors (FNTDs). We irradiated [Formula: see text] mm3 FNTD chips inside a water phantom, positioned at seven positions along a pristine proton Bragg peak with a range in water of 12 cm. MC simulations were implemented in two stages: (1) using TOPAS to model the beam properties within a water phantom and (2) using TOPAS-nBio with Geant4-DNA physics to score particle interactions through a water surrogate of Al2O3:C,Mg. The measured median track integrated brightness (IB) was observed to be strongly correlated to both (i) voxelized track-averaged linear energy transfer (LET) and (ii) frequency mean microdosimetric lineal energy, [Formula: see text], both simulated in pure water. Histograms of FNTD track IB were compared against TOPAS-nBio histograms of the number of terminal electrons per proton, scored in water with mass-density scaled to mimic Al2O3:C,Mg. Trends between exposure depths observed in TOPAS-nBio simulations were experimentally replicated in the study of FNTD track IB. Our results represent an important first step towards the experimental validation of MC simulations on the sub-cellular scale and suggest that FNTDs can enable experimental study of the microdosimetric properties of individual proton tracks.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S A Underwood
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America. Department of Medical Engineering and Physics, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Underwood TSA, Voog JC, Moteabbed M, Tang S, Soffen E, Cahlon O, Lu HM, Zietman AL, Efstathiou JA, Paganetti H. Hydrogel rectum-prostate spacers mitigate the uncertainties in proton relative biological effectiveness associated with anterior-oblique beams. Acta Oncol 2017; 56:575-581. [PMID: 28075206 DOI: 10.1080/0284186x.2016.1275781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
AIM Anterior-oblique (AO) proton beams can form an attractive option for prostate patients receiving external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) as they avoid the femoral heads. For a cohort with hydrogel prostate-rectum spacers, we asked whether it was possible to generate AO proton plans robust to end-of-range elevations in linear energy transfer (LET) and modeled relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Additionally we considered how rectal spacers influenced planned dose distributions for AO and standard bilateral (SB) proton beams versus intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). MATERIAL AND METHODS We studied three treatment strategies for 10 patients with rectal spacers: (A) AO proton beams, (B) SB proton beams and (C) IMRT. For strategy (A) dose and LET distributions were simulated (using the TOPAS Monte Carlo platform) and the McNamara model was used to calculate proton RBE as a function of LET, dose per fraction, and photon α/β. All calculations were performed on pretreatment scans: inter- and intra-fractional changes in anatomy/set-up were not considered. RESULTS For 9/10 patients, rectal spacers enabled generation of AO proton plans robust to modeled RBE elevations: rectal dose constraints were fulfilled even when the variable RBE model was applied with a conservative α/β = 2 Gy. Amongst a subset of patients the proton rectal doses for the planning target volume plans were remarkably low: for 2/10 SB plans and 4/10 AO plans, ≤10% of the rectum received ≥20 Gy. AO proton plans delivered integral doses a factor of approximately three lower than IMRT and spared the femoral heads almost entirely. CONCLUSION Typically, rectal spacers enabled the generation of anterior beam proton plans that appeared robust to modeled variation in RBE. However, further analysis of day-to-day robustness would be required prior to a clinical implementation of AO proton beams. Such beams offer almost complete femoral head sparing, but their broader value relative to IMRT and SB protons remains unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy S. A. Underwood
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Justin C. Voog
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maryam Moteabbed
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shikui Tang
- ProCure Proton Therapy Center, Somerset, NJ, USA
| | | | - Oren Cahlon
- ProCure Proton Therapy Center, Somerset, NJ, USA
| | - Hsiao-Ming Lu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anthony L. Zietman
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason A. Efstathiou
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Harald Paganetti
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Liu Q, Underwood TSA, Kung J, Wang M, Lu HM, Paganetti H, Held KD, Hong TS, Efstathiou JA, Willers H. Disruption of SLX4-MUS81 Function Increases the Relative Biological Effectiveness of Proton Radiation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2016; 95:78-85. [PMID: 27084631 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.01.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 01/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Clinical proton beam therapy has been based on the use of a generic relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of ∼1.1. However, emerging data have suggested that Fanconi anemia (FA) and homologous recombination pathway defects can lead to a variable RBE, at least in vitro. We investigated the role of SLX4 (FANCP), which acts as a docking platform for the assembly of multiple structure-specific endonucleases, in the response to proton irradiation. METHODS AND MATERIALS Isogenic cell pairs for the study of SLX4, XPF/ERCC1, MUS81, and SLX1 were irradiated at the mid-spread-out Bragg peak of a clinical proton beam (linear energy transfer 2.5 keV/μm) or with 250 kVp x-rays, and the clonogenic survival fractions were determined. To estimate the RBE of the protons relative to cobalt-60 photons (Co60Eq), we assigned a RBE(Co60Eq) of 1.1 to x-rays to correct the physical dose measured. Standard DNA repair foci assays were used to monitor the damage responses, and the cell cycle distributions were assessed by flow cytometry. The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor olaparib was used for comparison. RESULTS Loss of SLX4 function resulted in an enhanced proton RBE(Co60Eq) of 1.42 compared with 1.11 for wild-type cells (at a survival fraction of 0.1; P<.05), which correlated with increased persistent DNA double-strand breaks in cells in the S/G2 phase. Genetic analysis identified the SLX4-binding partner MUS81 as a mediator of resistance to proton radiation. Both proton irradiation and olaparib treatment resulted in a similar prolonged accumulation of RAD51 foci in SLX4/MUS81-deficient cells, suggesting a common defect in the repair of DNA replication fork-associated damage. CONCLUSIONS A defect in the FA pathway at the level of SLX4 results in hypersensitivity to proton radiation, which is, at least in part, due to impaired MUS81-mediated processing of replication forks that stall at clustered DNA damage. In vivo and clinical studies are needed to confirm these findings in human cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Liu
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tracy S A Underwood
- Division of Radiation Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jong Kung
- Division of Radiation Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Meng Wang
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Hsiao-Ming Lu
- Division of Radiation Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Harald Paganetti
- Division of Radiation Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Kathryn D Held
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Theodore S Hong
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jason A Efstathiou
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Henning Willers
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Kumar S, Fenwick JD, Underwood TSA, Deshpande DD, Scott AJD, Nahum AE. Breakdown of Bragg–Gray behaviour for low-density detectors under electronic disequilibrium conditions in small megavoltage photon fields. Phys Med Biol 2015; 60:8187-212. [DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/60/20/8187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Underwood TSA, Rowland BC, Ferrand R, Vieillevigne L. Application of the Exradin W1 scintillator to determine Ediode 60017 and microDiamond 60019 correction factors for relative dosimetry within small MV and FFF fields. Phys Med Biol 2015; 60:6669-83. [DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/60/17/6669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Underwood TSA, Thompson J, Bird L, Scott AJD, Patmore P, Winter HC, Hill MA, Fenwick JD. Validation of a prototype DiodeAir for small field dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 2015; 60:2939-53. [DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/60/7/2939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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Underwood TSA, Winter HC, Hill MA, Fenwick JD. Mass-density compensation can improve the performance of a range of different detectors under non-equilibrium conditions. Phys Med Biol 2013; 58:8295-310. [DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/58/23/8295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Underwood TSA, Winter HC, Hill MA, Fenwick JD. TU-C-108-03: Beyond the Alfonso Formalism for Small Field Dosimetry: A New Metric, New Detectors, Or Both? Med Phys 2013. [DOI: 10.1118/1.4815367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Jones B, Underwood TSA, Dale RG. The potential impact of relative biological effectiveness uncertainty on charged particle treatment prescriptions. Br J Radiol 2012; 84 Spec No 1:S61-9. [PMID: 22374549 DOI: 10.1259/bjr/36792876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There continues to be uncertainty regarding the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values that should be used in charged particle radiotherapy (CPT) prescriptions using protons and heavier ions. This uncertainty could potentially offset the physical dose advantage gained by exploiting the Bragg peak effect and it needs to be clearly understood by clinicians and physicists. This paper introduces a combined radiobiological and physical sparing factor (S). This factor includes the ratio of the most relevant physical doses in tumour and normal tissues in combination with their respective RBE values and can be extended to contain the uncertainties in RBE. S factors can be used to study, in a simplified way for tentative modelling, those clinical situations in which high-linear energy transfer (LET) irradiations are likely to prove preferable over their low-LET counterparts for a matched tumour iso-effect. In cases where CPT achieves an excellent degree of normal tissue sparing, the radiobiological factors become less important and any uncertainties in the tumour and healthy tissue RBE values are correspondingly less problematic. When less normal tissue sparing can be achieved, however, the RBE uncertainties assume greater relevance and will affect the reliability of the dose-prescription methodology. More research is required to provide accurate RBE estimation, focusing attention on the associated statistical uncertainties and potential differences in RBE between different tissue types.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Jones
- Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, UK.
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Jones B, Underwood TSA, Carabe-Fernandez A, Timlin C, Dale RG. Fast neutron relative biological effects and implications for charged particle therapy. Br J Radiol 2012; 84 Spec No 1:S11-8. [PMID: 22374547 DOI: 10.1259/bjr/67509851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In two fast neutron data sets, comprising in vitro and in vivo experiments, an inverse relationship is found between the low-linear energy transfer (LET) α/β ratio and the maximum value of relative biological effect (RBE(max)), while the minimum relative biological effect (RBE(min)) is linearly related to the square root of the low-LET α/β ratio. RBE(max) is the RBE at near zero dose and can be represented by the ratio of the α parameters at high- and low-LET radiation exposures. RBE(min) is the RBE at very high dose and can be represented by the ratio of the square roots of the β parameters at high- and low-LET radiation exposures. In principle, it may be possible to use the low-LET α/β ratio to predict RBE(max) and RBE(min, )providing that other LET-related parameters, which reflect intercept and slopes of these relationships, are used. These two limits of RBE determine the intermediate values of RBE at any dose per fraction; therefore, it is possible to find the RBE at any dose per fraction. Although these results are obtained from fast neutron experiments, there are implications for charged particle therapy using protons (when RBE is scaled downwards) and for heavier ion beams (where the magnitude of RBE is similar to that for fast neutrons). In the case of fast neutrons, late reacting normal tissue systems and very slow growing tumours, which have the smallest values of the low-LET α/β ratio, are predicted to have the highest RBE values at low fractional doses, but the lowest values of RBE at higher doses when they are compared with early reacting tissues and fast growing tumour systems that have the largest low-LET α/β ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Jones
- Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford, UK.
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Kempton MJ, Underwood TSA, Brunton S, Stylios F, Schmechtig A, Ettinger U, Smith MS, Lovestone S, Crum WR, Frangou S, Williams SCR, Simmons A. A comprehensive testing protocol for MRI neuroanatomical segmentation techniques: Evaluation of a novel lateral ventricle segmentation method. Neuroimage 2011; 58:1051-9. [PMID: 21835253 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.06.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Revised: 06/22/2011] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Although a wide range of approaches have been developed to automatically assess the volume of brain regions from MRI, the reproducibility of these algorithms across different scanners and pulse sequences, their accuracy in different clinical populations and sensitivity to real changes in brain volume have not always been comprehensively examined. Firstly we present a comprehensive testing protocol which comprises 312 freely available MR images to assess the accuracy, reproducibility and sensitivity of automated brain segmentation techniques. Accuracy is assessed in infants, young adults and patients with Alzheimer's disease in comparison to gold standard measures by expert observers using a manual technique based on Cavalieri's principle. The protocol determines the reliability of segmentation between scanning sessions, different MRI pulse sequences and 1.5T and 3T field strengths and examines their sensitivity to small changes in volume using a large longitudinal dataset. Secondly we apply this testing protocol to a novel algorithm for segmenting the lateral ventricles and compare its performance to the widely used FSL FIRST and FreeSurfer methods. The testing protocol produced quantitative measures of accuracy, reliability and sensitivity of lateral ventricle volume estimates for each segmentation method. The novel algorithm showed high accuracy in all populations (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC>0.95), good reproducibility between MRI pulse sequences (ICC>0.99) and was sensitive to age related changes in longitudinal data. FreeSurfer demonstrated high accuracy (ICC>0.95), good reproducibility (ICC>0.99) and sensitivity whilst FSL FIRST showed good accuracy in young adults and infants (ICC>0.90) and good reproducibility (ICC=0.98), but was unable to segment ventricular volume in patients with Alzheimer's disease or healthy subjects with large ventricles. Using the same computer system, the novel algorithm and FSL FIRST processed a single MRI image in less than 10min while FreeSurfer took approximately 7h. The testing protocol presented enables the accuracy, reproducibility and sensitivity of different algorithms to be compared. We also demonstrate that the novel segmentation algorithm and FreeSurfer are both effective in determining lateral ventricular volume and are well suited for multicentre and longitudinal MRI studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Kempton
- King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroimaging, UK.
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Underwood TSA, Dale RG, Bidmead AM, Nalder CA, Blake PR. Pulsed brachytherapy: a modelled consideration of repair parameter uncertainties and their influence on treatment duration extension and daytime-only "block-schemes". Br J Radiol 2011; 84:449-56. [PMID: 21266397 DOI: 10.1259/bjr/58276427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The radiobiological modelling of all types of protracted brachytherapy is susceptible to uncertainties in the values of tissue repair parameters. Although this effect has been explored for many aspects of pulsed brachytherapy (PB), it is usually considered within the constraint of a fixed brachytherapy treatment time. Here the impact of repair parameter uncertainty is assessed for PB treatments of variable duration. The potential use of "block-schemes" (blocks of PB pulses separated by night-time gaps) is also investigated. METHODS PB schedule constraints are based on the cervical cancer protocols of the Royal Marsden Hospital (RMH), but the methodology is applicable to any combination of starting schedule and treatment constraint. Calculations are performed using the biologically effective dose (BED) as a tissue-specific comparison metric. The ratio of normal tissue BED to tumour BED is considered for PB regimens with varying total pulse numbers and/or "block-schemes". RESULTS For matched brachytherapy duration, PB has a good "window of opportunity" relative to the existing RMH continuous low dose rate (CLDR) practice for all modelled repair half-times. The most clear-cut route to radiobiological optimisation of PB is via modest temporal extension of the PB regimen relative to the CLDR reference. This option may be practicable for those centres with scope to extend their relatively short CLDR treatment durations. CONCLUSION Although daytime-only "block-scheme" PB for cervical cancer has not yet been employed clinically, the possibilities appear to be theoretically promising, providing the overall (external beam plus brachytherapy) treatment duration is not extended relative to current practice, such that additional tumour repopulation becomes a concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S A Underwood
- Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Fulham Road, London, UK.
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