Novel Functional Radiomics for Prediction of Cardiac Positron Emission Tomography Avidity in Lung Cancer Radiotherapy.

Purpose: Traditional methods of evaluating cardiotoxicity focus on radiation doses to the heart. Functional imaging has the potential to provide improved prediction for cardiotoxicity for patients with lung cancer. Fluorine-18 (F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging is routinely obtained in a standard cancer staging workup.

Dose perturbation effect of metallic spinal implants in proton beam therapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dose perturbations for two metallic spinal screw implants in proton beam therapy in the perpendicular and parallel beam geometry. A 5.5 mm (diameter) by 45 mm (length) stainless steel (SS) screw and a 5.

A simplified methodology to produce Monte Carlo dose distributions in proton therapy.

The purpose of this study was to develop a simplified methodology that will produce Monte Carlo (MC) dose distribution for proton therapy which can be used as a clinical aid in determining the adequacy of proton plans produced from the treatment planning system (TPS). The Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit was used for all simulations. The geometry of the double scatter nozzle in the simulation was a simplification of the treatment nozzle.

Proton therapy dose distribution comparison between Monte Carlo and a treatment planning system for pediatric patients with ependymoma.

Purpose: Compare dose distributions for pediatric patients with ependymoma calculated using a Monte Carlo (MC) system and a clinical treatment planning system (TPS).

Methods: Plans from ten pediatric patients with ependymoma treated using double scatter proton therapy were exported from the TPS and calculated in our MC system. A field by field comparison of the distal edge (80% and 20%), distal fall off (80% to 20%), field width (50% to 50%), and penumbra (80% to 20%) were examined.