Does TomoDirect 3DCRT represent a suitable option for post-operative whole breast irradiation? A hypothesis-generating pilot study.

Background: This study investigates the use of TomoDirect™ 3DCRT for whole breast adjuvant radiotherapy (AWBRT) that represents a very attractive treatment opportunity, mainly for radiotherapy departments without conventional Linacs and only equipped with helical tomotherapy units.

Methods: Plans were created for 17 breast cancer patients using TomoDirect in 3DCRT and IMRT modality and field-in-field 3DCRT planning (FIF) and compared in terms of PTV coverage, overdosage, homogeneity, conformality and dose to OARs. The possibility to define patient-class solutions for TD-3DCRT employment was investigated, correlating OARs dose constraints to patient specific anatomic parameters.

Interventional radiology at a single institution over 9 years: a comprehensive evaluation of procedures and an estimation of collective effective dose.

Purpose: To investigate the exposure parameters, effective dose, frequency, and collective dose for interventional radiology (IR) procedures performed at a single institution during a 9-year period.

Materials And Methods: According to the anatomic region imaged, seven diagnostic and 16 therapeutic IR procedures performed between 2002 and 2010 were retrospectively investigated with regard to exposure setting parameters and frequency. Dose-area products (DAPs), cumulative doses (CDs), and irradiation time values were analyzed on a sample of 1,100 examinations.

Different IMRT solutions vs. 3D-conformal radiotherapy in early stage Hodgkin's Lymphoma: dosimetric comparison and clinical considerations.

Background: Radiotherapy in Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL) is currently evolving with new attempts to further reduce radiation volumes to the involved-node concept (Involved Nodes Radiation Therapy, INRT) and with the use of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Currently, IMRT can be planned and delivered with several techniques, and its role is not completely clear. We designed a planning study on a typical dataset drawn from clinical routine with the aim of comparing different IMRT solutions in terms of plan quality and treatment delivery efficiency.

Head and neck region consolidation radiotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation with hippocampal avoidance delivered with helical tomotherapy after induction chemotherapy for non-sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma of the upper airways.

Background: Non-sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinomas (NSNECs) of the head and neck are considered an unfrequent clinico-pathological entity. Combined modality treatment represents an established therapeutic option for undifferentiated forms where distant metastasis is a common pattern of failure.

Methods: We report on a case of NSNEC treated with sequential chemo-radiation consisting of 6 cycles of cisplatin and etoposide followed by loco-regional radiation to the head and neck and simultaneous prophylactic cranial irradiation to prevent from intracranial spread, delivered with helical tomotherapy with the 'hippocampal avoidance' technique in order to reduce neuro-cognitive late effects.

TomoDirect: an efficient means to deliver radiation at static angles with tomotherapy.

Aims And Background: The TomoTherapy Hi-Art II system is able to deliver dynamic intensity-modulated radiation therapy within a helical geometry providing robust conformality and modulation, abrupt dose falloff, and reliable accuracy. A new upgrade named TomoDirect was introduced recently, allowing delivery of radiation at discrete angles with a fixed gantry. We present our preliminary clinical experience with TomoDirect.

Transmission, penumbra and leaf positional accuracy in commissioning and quality assurance program of a multileaf collimator for step-and-shoot IMRT treatments.

Aims And Background: The performance characteristics of a commercial multileaf collimator (MLC) for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and a comprehensive quality assurance program (QA) to be performed during the commissioning of the MLC were investigated.

Materials And Methods: The midleaf transmission and interleaf leakage, the in-plane penumbra and its in-plane/cross-plane variation, the cross-plane penumbra and its in-plane/cross-plane variation, and the leaf positional accuracy of a high-energy photon (6 MV) Sli Precise Elekta linear accelerator were measured. Kodak EDR2 Ready Pack film was used for MLC transmission measurement; for the other characterization measurements we used Kodak X-Omat XV2 Ready Pack film placed at 5 cm depth in a solid RW3 phantom.

Dosimetric evaluation of a commercial 3D treatment planning system using the AAPM Task Group 23 test package.

The accuracy of the dose calculation algorithm is one of the most critical steps in assessing the radiotherapy treatment to achieve the 5% accuracy in dose delivery, which represents the suggested limit to increase the complication-free local control of tumor. We have used the AAPM Task Group 23 (TG-23) test package for clinical photon external beam therapy to evaluate the accuracy of the new version of the PLATO TPS algorithm. The comparison between tabulated values and calculated ones has been performed for 266 and 297 dose values for the 4 and 18 MV photon beams, respectively.