Publications by authors named "Vira Chankong"

This paper reports an inverse arc-modulated radiation therapy planning technique based on linear models. It is implemented with a two-step procedure. First, fluence maps for 36 fixed-gantry beams are generated using a linear model-based intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) optimization algorithm.

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This study compares three online image guidance techniques (IGRT) for prostate IMRT treatment: bony-anatomy matching, soft-tissue matching, and online replanning. Six prostate IMRT patients were studied. Five daily CBCT scans from the first week were acquired for each patient to provide representative "snapshots" of anatomical variations during the course of treatment.

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Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which delivers a much higher fractional dose than conventional treatment in only a few fractions, is an effective treatment for liver metastases. For patients who are treated under free-breathing conditions, however, respiration-induced tumor motion in the liver is a concern. Limited clinical information is available related to the impact of tumor motion and treatment technique on the dosimetric consequences.

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For intermediate and high risk prostate cancer, both the prostate gland and seminal vesicles are included in the clinical target volume. Internal motion patterns of these two organs vary, presenting a challenge for adaptive treatment. Adaptive techniques such as isocenter repositioning and soft tissue alignment are effective when tumor volumes only exhibit translational shift, while direct re-optimization of the intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plan maybe more desirable when extreme deformation or differential positioning changes of the organs occur.

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The challenges of real-time Gamma Knife inverse planning are the large number of variables involved and the unknown search space a priori. With limited collimator sizes, shots have to be heavily overlapped to form a smooth prescription isodose line that conforms to the irregular target shape. Such overlaps greatly influence the total number of shots per plan, making pre-determination of the total number of shots impractical.

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