Coverage of Lateral Lymph Nodes in Rectal Cancer Patients with Routine Radiation Therapy Practice and Associated Locoregional Recurrence Rates.

Purpose: Involved internal iliac and obturator lateral lymph nodes (LLNs) are a known risk factor for the occurrence of ipsilateral local recurrences (LLR) in rectal cancer. This study examined coverage of LLNs with routine radiation therapy practice in the Netherlands and associated LLR rates.

Methods And Materials: Patients with a primary tumor ≤8 cm of the anorectal junction, cT3-4 stage, and at least 1 internal iliac or obturator LLN with short axis ≥5 mm who received neoadjuvant (chemo)radiation therapy, were selected from a national, cross-sectional study of patients with rectal cancer treated in the Netherlands in 2016.

Comparison of Library of Plans with two daily adaptive strategies for whole bladder radiotherapy.

Background And Purpose: Whole bladder radiotherapy is challenging due to inter- and intrafraction size and shape changes. To account for these changes, currently a Library of Plans (LoP) technique is often applied, but daily adaptive radiotherapy is also increasingly becoming available. The aim of this study was to compare LoP with two magnetic resonance imaging guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) strategies by comparing target coverage and volume of healthy tissue inside the planning target volume (PTV) for whole bladder treatments.

Delivered dose quantification in prostate radiotherapy using online 3D cine imaging and treatment log files on a combined 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging and linear accelerator system.

Background And Purpose: Monitoring the intrafraction motion and its impact on the planned dose distribution is of crucial importance in radiotherapy. In this work we quantify the delivered dose for the first prostate patients treated on a combined 1.5T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and linear accelerator system in our clinic based on online 3D cine-MR and treatment log files.

Planning feasibility of extremely hypofractionated prostate radiotherapy on a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging guided linear accelerator.

Background And Purpose: Recently, intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer patients have been treated in a multicenter phase II trial with extremely hypofractionated prostate radiotherapy (hypo-FLAME trial). The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging guided linear accelerator (MRI-linac) could achieve complex dose distributions of a quality similar to conventional linac state-of-the-art prostate treatments.

Quantification of intra-fraction motion in breast radiotherapy using supine magnetic resonance imaging.

In early-stage breast-cancer patients, accelerated partial-breast irradiation techniques (APBI) and hypofractionation are increasingly implemented after breast-conserving surgery (BCS). For a safe and effective radiation therapy (RT), the influence of intra-fraction motion during dose delivery becomes more important as associated fraction durations increase and targets become smaller. Current image-guidance techniques are insufficient to characterize local target movement in high temporal and spatial resolution for extended durations.

Post-lumpectomy CT-guided tumor bed delineation for breast boost and partial breast irradiation: Can additional pre- and postoperative imaging reduce interobserver variability?

For breast boost radiotherapy or accelerated partial breast irradiation, the tumor bed (TB) is delineated by the radiation oncologist on a planning computed tomography (CT) scan. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the interobserver variability (IOV) of the TB delineation is reduced by providing the radiation oncologist with additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scans. A total of 14 T1-T2 breast cancer patients underwent a standard planning CT in the supine treatment position following lumpectomy, as well as additional pre- and postoperative imaging in the same position.

MRI-guided single fraction ablative radiotherapy for early-stage breast cancer: a brachytherapy versus volumetric modulated arc therapy dosimetry study.

Background And Purpose: A radiosurgical treatment approach for early-stage breast cancer has the potential to minimize the patient's treatment burden. The dosimetric feasibility for single fraction ablative radiotherapy was evaluated by comparing volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with an interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy (IMB) approach.

Methods And Materials: The tumors of 20 patients with early-stage breast cancer were delineated on a preoperative contrast-enhanced planning CT-scan, co-registered with a contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), both in radiotherapy supine position.

Full-thickness closure in breast-conserving surgery: the impact on radiotherapy target definition for boost and partial breast irradiation. A multimodality image evaluation.

Background: During breast-conserving surgery (BCS), surgeons increasingly perform full-thickness closure (FTC) to prevent seroma formation. This could potentially impair precision of target definition for boost and accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the precision of target volume definition following BCS with FTC among radiation oncologists, using various imaging modalities.

MRI and CT imaging for preoperative target volume delineation in breast-conserving therapy.

Background: Accurate tumor bed delineation after breast-conserving surgery is important. However, consistency among observers on standard postoperative radiotherapy planning CT is low and volumes can be large due to seroma formation. A preoperative delineation of the tumor might be more consistent.

MR-guided breast radiotherapy: feasibility and magnetic-field impact on skin dose.

The UMC Utrecht MRI/linac (MRL) design provides image guidance with high soft-tissue contrast, directly during radiotherapy (RT). Breast cancer patients are a potential group to benefit from better guidance in the MRL. However, due to the electron return effect, the skin dose can be increased in presence of a magnetic field.