Evaluation of stopping power ratio of artificial breast implants for carbon-ion radiotherapy.

The number of patients requiring breast reconstruction with artificial implants has been increasing, and so is the use of carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT). Consequently, a growing number of patients with artificial breast implants are expected to undergo CIRT. Because artificial breasts are composed of a silicone polymer gel with a silicon-oxygen backbone, which differs significantly from human tissues, the stopping power ratio for carbon beams cannot be accurately converted from CT values using standard CT-to-stopping power ratio tables (CT-SP tables).

Implementation of a rapid response system at an isolated radiotherapy facility through simulation training.

A rapid response system is required in a radiotherapy department for patients experiencing a critical event when access to an emergency department is poor due to geographic location and the patient is immobilised with a fixation device. We, therefore, rebuilt the response system and tested it through onsite simulations. A multidisciplinary core group was created and onsite simulations were conducted using a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle.

[Intra-fractional set-up and organ motion errors in intensity-modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer].

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate various intra-fractional errors and to determine the appropriate planning target volume (PTV) margins in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer.

Methods: Ten patients with prostate cancer treated with IMRT between July 2009 and March 2010 were analyzed. PTV was created by adding 4 mm posterior and 7 mm anterior and lateral margins to the clinical target volume (CTV) including prostate and proximal seminal vesicles.