Breast telecobalt beam therapy using multi-isocentric technique.

Aim: To treat breast cancer patients in telecobalt unit with image based conformal radiotherapy planning using the multi-isocentric technique.

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cancer among all the female cancers. With improved screening techniques, many patients are being diagnosed at an early stage and the need for radiotherapy in such patients has increased.

A study on the correlation between plan complexity and gamma index analysis in patient specific quality assurance of volumetric modulated arc therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the new Octavius 4D system for patient specific quality assurance and to study the correlation between plan complexity and gamma index analysis in patient specific quality assurance of VMAT using the Octavius 4D system.

Background: McNiven (2010) proposed a study to evaluate the utility of a complexity metric, the Modulation Complexity Score, to evaluate the relationship of the metric with deliverability in IMRT.

Materials And Methods: Evaluation of the Octavius 4D system was carried out by gamma evaluation of user defined MLC created patterns and AAPM TG 119 benchmark plans.

A study on correlation between 2D and 3D gamma evaluation metrics in patient-specific quality assurance for VMAT.

In this study, we investigated the correlation between 2-dimensional (2D) and 3D gamma analysis using the new PTW OCTAVIUS 4D system for various parameters. For this study, we selected 150 clinically approved volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans of head and neck (50), thoracic (esophagus) (50), and pelvic (cervix) (50) sites. Individual verification plans were created and delivered to the OCTAVIUS 4D phantom.

In-house spread sheet based monitor unit verification program for volumetric modulated arc therapy.

Independent monitor unit verification calculation (MUVC) has been recommended by several authors for intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) as a patient specific quality assurance tool. Aim of the present work is to develop an in-house excel spread sheet based MUVC program for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) using Clarkson's integration technique. Total scatter factor (S(c,p)) and tissue maximum ratio (TMR) for circular fields obtained from Treatment planning system (TPS) were used for the calculation.

A patient-specific quality assurance study on absolute dose verification using ionization chambers of different volumes in RapidArc treatments.

The recalculation of 1 fraction from a patient treatment plan on a phantom and subsequent measurements have become the norms for measurement-based verification, which combines the quality assurance recommendations that deal with the treatment planning system and the beam delivery system. This type of evaluation has prompted attention to measurement equipment and techniques. Ionization chambers are considered the gold standard because of their precision, availability, and relative ease of use.

Exit fluence analysis using portal dosimetry in volumetric modulated arc therapy.

Aim: In measuring exit fluences, there are several sources of deviations which include the changes in the entrance fluence, changes in the detector response and patient orientation or geometry. The purpose of this work is to quantify these sources of errors.

Background: The use of the volumetric modulated arc therapy treatment with the help of image guidance in radiotherapy results in high accuracy of delivering complex dose distributions while sparing critical organs.

Adaptive volumetric modulated arc treatment planning for esophageal cancers using cone beam computed tomography.

Purpose: To assess the potential of cone beam CT (CBCT) derived adaptive RapidArc treatment for esophageal cancers in reducing the dose to organs at risk (OAR).

Methods And Materials: Ten patients with esophageal cancer were CT scanned in free breathing pattern. The PTV is generated by adding a 3D margin of 1 cm to the CTV as per ICRU 62 recommendations.