Predicting Pathological Complete Response in Breast Cancer After Two Cycles of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy by Tumor Reduction Rate: A Retrospective Case-Control Study / 한국유방암학회지

Purpose@#We aimed to identify effectiveness-associated indicators and evaluate the optimal tumor reduction rate (TRR) after two cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with invasive breast cancer. @*Methods@#This retrospective case-control study included patients who underwent at least four cycles of NAC at the Department of Breast Surgery between February 2013 and February 2020. A regression nomogram model for predicting pathological responses was constructed based on potential indicators. @*Results@#A total of 784 patients were included, of whom 170 (21.68%) reported pathological complete response (pCR) after NAC and 614 (78.32%) had residual invasive tumors. The clinical T stage, clinical N stage, molecular subtype, and TRR were identified as independent predictors of pCR. Patients with a TRR > 35% were more likely to achieve pCR (odds ratio, 5.396; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.299–8.825). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted using the probability value, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.892 (95% CI, 0.863–0.922). @*Conclusion@#TRR > 35% is predictive of pCR after two cycles of NAC, and an early evaluation model using a nomogram based on five indicators, age, clinical T stage, clinical N stage, molecular subtype, and TRR, is applicable in patients with invasive breast cancer.

Study on Automatic Plan Method for Radiotherapy after Breast-conserving Surgery Based on TiGRT System / 中国医疗器械杂志

To study an automatic plan(AP) method for radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery based on TiGRT system and and compare with manual plan (MP). The dosimetry parameters of 10 patients and the evaluation of scoring table were analyzed, it was found that the targets dose of AP were better than that of MP, but there was no statistical difference except for CI, The V5, V20 and V30 of affected lungs and whole lungs in AP were lower than all that in MP, the Dmean of hearts was slightly higher than that of MP, but the difference was not statistically significant, the MU of AP was increase by 16.1% compared with MP, the score of AP evaluation was increase by 6.1% compared with MP. So the AP could be programmed and automated while ensuring the quality of the plan, and can be used to design the plans for radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery.

Study of feasibility of exchanging intensity-modulated radiotherapy plans after beam matching on two Linacs / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To explore the feasibility of the clinical implementation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans with 6MV photon on two Elekta Linacs (Versa HD and Synergy) after beam matching.Methods:The images of 12 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, central lung cancer and prostate cancer were randomly selected, and the IMRT and VMAT plans were designed. Two different dose tools of ionization chamber and three-dimensional detector ArcCheck were used to verify the individualized radiation treatment of 6MV photon beams on two Linacs and compare the differences.Results:The deviations between the doses of two Linacs (Versa HD and Synergy) measured by the ion chamber and treatment planning system were (0.32±1.32)% and (0.54±1.29)%. The differences of all plans were within the range of ±3%, and the deviations of the point dose between two Linacs were within the range of ±2% with no statistical significance (both P>0.05). The γ analysis of verification using ArcCheck showed that the passing rates of all plans under the 2mm/3% and 3mm/3% with 10% threshold conditions were over 95%, respectively. The average differences between two Linacs were 0.19%(2mm/3%) and 0.09%(3mm/3%). Conclusions:The results of performing IMRT/VMAT plans on two Linacs meet the clinical requirements and the differences between two Linacs are small. Hence, the same plans can be implemented interchangeably on different Linacs.

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging guided radiation therapy / 生物医学工程学杂志

Image-guided radiation therapy using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new technology that has been widely studied and developed in recent years. The technology combines the advantages of MRI imaging, and can offer online real-time tracking of tumor and adjacent organs at risk, as well as real-time optimization of radiotherapy plan. In order to provide a comprehensive understanding of this technology, and to grasp the international development and trends in this field, this paper reviews and summarizes related researches, so as to make the researchers and clinical personnel in this field to understand recent status of this technology, and carry out corresponding researches. This paper summarizes the advantages of MRI and the research progress of MRI linear accelerator (MR-Linac), online guidance, adaptive optimization, and dosimetry-related research. Possible development direction of these technologies in the future is also discussed. It is expected that this review can provide a certain reference value for clinician and related researchers to understand the research progress in the field.

Evaluation of plan quality for IMPT and VMAT in the treatment of patients with prostate cancer / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective To study the dosimetric characteristics and plan quality of PTV-based intensity modulated proton radiotherapy (IMPT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for prostate cancer,so as to provide a reference for clinical application.Methods A total of 10 prostate cancer cases were included in this retrospective study.IMPT and RapidArc plans were designed by RayStation and Eclipse TPS based on PTV,respectively.For each case,IMPT plans were generated using multiple field optimization (MFO) technique with two parallel-opposed lateral fields,whereas RapidArc plans were generated using double-arc technique (two full arcs).Final dose calculation of IMPT was conducted by pencil beam (PB) and Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm,respectively,with adopted data model from the pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy system of IBA Protues Plus (IBA Group,Belgium);The data model originated from the linear accelerator of Varian Clinac iX (Varian Medical Systems,America) was used for RapidArc plans.Dosimetric parameters of DVH and dose distribution were used to compare the dose differences in targets and organs at risk (OARs) between these two treatment techniques.Results For targets,HIs of PB-IMPT and MC-IMPT were slightly better than that of RapidArc,but CI of IMPT was slightly lower than that of RapidArc;D1 of PB-IMPT was significantly better than those of MC-IMPT and RapidArc (Z =-2.805,-2.803,P ＜ 0.05).PB-IMPT and MC-IMPT achieved better protection than RapidArc on rectum V30 (Z =-2.191,-1.988,P＜ 0.05) and D (Z =-2.599,-2.497,P＜0.05),bladder V30 (Z=-2.701,-2.701,P＜0.05),V40 (Z=-2.395,-2.395,P＜0.05) and D (Z =-2.701,-2.701,P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference between PB-IMPT and MC-IMPT plans for prostate cancer,except for the D1％ [(73.86t67.34) Gy vs.(75.45±2.01) Gy] (RBE) and HI [(0.040±0.010) vs.(0.058±0.020)] of the target.Conclusions Both techniques can meet the clinical requirements,but IMPT showed significant dosimetric advantages compared with RapidArch by reducing the dose to OARs and improving the plan quality.

Automatic segmentation of head and neck organs at risk based on three-dimensional U-NET deep convolutional neural network / 生物医学工程学杂志

The segmentation of organs at risk is an important part of radiotherapy. The current method of manual segmentation depends on the knowledge and experience of physicians, which is very time-consuming and difficult to ensure the accuracy, consistency and repeatability. Therefore, a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) is proposed for the automatic and accurate segmentation of head and neck organs at risk. The data of 496 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were reviewed. Among them, 376 cases were randomly selected for training set, 60 cases for validation set and 60 cases for test set. Using the three-dimensional (3D) U-NET DCNN, combined with two loss functions of Dice Loss and Generalized Dice Loss, the automatic segmentation neural network model for the head and neck organs at risk was trained. The evaluation parameters are Dice similarity coefficient and Jaccard distance. The average Dice Similarity coefficient of the 19 organs at risk was 0.91, and the Jaccard distance was 0.15. The results demonstrate that 3D U-NET DCNN combined with Dice Loss function can be better applied to automatic segmentation of head and neck organs at risk.

Evaluation of plan quality for IMPT and VMAT in the treatment of patients with prostate cancer / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective@#To study the dosimetric characteristics and plan quality of PTV-based intensity modulated proton radiotherapy (IMPT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for prostate cancer, so as to provide a reference for clinical application.@*Methods@#A total of 10 prostate cancer cases were included in this retrospective study. IMPT and RapidArc plans were designed by RayStation and Eclipse TPS based on PTV, respectively. For each case, IMPT plans were generated using multiple field optimization (MFO) technique with two parallel-opposed lateral fields, whereas RapidArc plans were generated using double-arc technique (two full arcs). Final dose calculation of IMPT was conducted by pencil beam(PB) and Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm, respectively, with adopted data model from the pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy system of IBA Protues Plus(IBA Group, Belgium); The data model originated from the linear accelerator of Varian Clinac iX (Varian Medical Systems, America) was used for RapidArc plans. Dosimetric parameters of DVH and dose distribution were used to compare the dose differences in targets and organs at risk (OARs) between these two treatment techniques.@*Results@#For targets, HIs of PB-IMPT and MC-IMPT were slightly better than that of RapidArc , but CI of IMPT was slightly lower than that of RapidArc; D1% of PB-IMPT was significantly better than those of MC-IMPT and RapidArc (Z=-2.805, -2.803, P<0.05). PB-IMPT and MC-IMPT achieved better protection than RapidArc on rectum V30(Z=-2.191, -1.988, P<0.05)and Dmean(Z=-2.599, -2.497, P<0.05), bladder V30(Z=-2.701, -2.701, P<0.05), V40(Z=-2.395, -2.395, P<0.05)and Dmean(Z=-2.701, -2.701, P<0.05). There was no significant difference between PB-IMPT and MC-IMPT plans for prostate cancer, except for the D1% [(73.86±67.34) Gy vs.(75.45±2.01) Gy] (RBE) and HI [(0.040±0.010) vs. (0.058±0.020)] of the target.@*Conclusions@#Both techniques can meet the clinical requirements, but IMPT showed significant dosimetric advantages compared with RapidArch by reducing the dose to OARs and improving the plan quality.

A New Generation of Radiotherapy Technology-Flash Radiotherapy / 中国医疗器械杂志

Flash radiotherapy is a kind of radiotherapy method using ultra-high dose rate radiation. Compared with the traditional dose rate radiotherapy, it has unique radiobiological advantages. In this paper, the principle of flash radiotherapy, the process and results of biological experiments are summarized. At the same time, the advantages and challenges of flash radiotherapy are analyzed, and the future clinical application is prospected.

Acceptance tests of beam performance for pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton system of IBA / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To explore the beam performance of GTR 360° PBS dedicated nozzle for IBA Proteus Plus proton system and evaluate the beam characteristics of PBS during acceptance test procedure (ATP) to meet the precision and safety requirements of clinical treatment.Methods:According to the requirements of acceptance tests, the beam tests of PBS mainly included: test of integrated depth dose (IDD), test of maximum field size at the maximum and minimum ranges, field uniformity and informative PBS tests for the GTR 360°, test of lateral dose uniformity in a single field uniform dose in a cube, test of longitudinal dose uniformity in a single field uniform dose in a cube, and test of monitor unit reproducibility and proportionality.Results:The maximum deviation measured of range, fall back accuracy and distal fall-off was 0.03 g/m 2, 0.01 g/m 2 and 0.078 g/m 2, respectively. Maximum field size at the maximum and minimum ranges was 30.2 cm×40.2 cm and 30.1 cm×40.1 cm, respectively. During the different gantry angles and ranges, the lowest γ passing rate of a pattern plan was 97%, the maximum deviation of the centrical beam spot size at the X and Y axes was -0.16 mm and -0.21 mm, and the worst symmetry was 0.80%. Compared with the centrical beam spot, the maximum size deviation of the other beam spots was 0.11 mm and 0.14 mm at the X and Y axes, and the maximum position accuracy deviation of the beam spot was 0.60 mm and 0.43 mm at the X and Y axes. The maximum deviation of lateral dose uniformity at at the X and Y axes was 0.55% and 0.80% in the high energy region, and 0.6% and 0.75% in the low energy region. The maximum deviation of longitudinal dose uniformity was 0.79% in the high energy region, and 2.22% in the low energy region. The monitor unit (MU) reproducibility factor was 0.106% and the maximum proportionality deviation was 0.67%. Conclusion:The dedicated nozzle of PBS has passed all the beam performance acceptance tests, which meet the requirements of all parameters, and the whole system yields relatively high accuracy, repeatability and good stability.

Construction and application of information management system in department of radiation oncology / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To develop the information management system in the Department of Radiotherapy,optimize the procedures of radiotherapy, realize the informatization of radiotherapy process management and improve medical efficiency. Methods Multi-digital template was adopted to integrate the information of cancer treatment. The server was equipped with multi-terminal mode to establish the information management system of radiotherapy process. The work authority was assigned according to different positions. The system was connected with radiotherapy plan system (TPS),hospital information system (HIS) and picture archiving and communication system (PACS) to realize the information collection, recording charges, information transmission and plan evaluation and audit in Department of Radiotherapy. Results The information management system optimized the radiotherapy procedures,strengthened connection among different systems, linked the information systems among different departments, standardized the radiotherapy procedures and enhanced the clinical efficiency. Conclusions The application of information management system improves the management level of radiotherapy process, establish a unified standard for cancer treatment and provide complete management plans for the radiotherapy process and quality control. It is a unique and prospective system,which is advantageous in the management of treatment process,systematization of information collection and quality control.

A preliminary study of template library-based auto-planning of volume modulated arc therapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To explore the feasibility of the volume modulated arc therapy ( VMAT) auto-planning based on template library ( TL). Methods VMAT plans of 68 patients diagnosed with postoperative rectal cancer in Eclipse system were retrospectively selected. The prescription dose was 50 Gy/25F. In 19 patients, the feature values of target and organs at risk were extracted as the vectors. The final optimized restricted conditions were saved as the TL. Then, the plans of 15 rectal cancer patients (10 cases from TL and 5 outside TL) were automatically optimized. According to the multi-dimensional vector similarity principle, the similarity parameter αwas defined. The designed program automatically selected the optimal-object template in an in-house software developed with Matlab. The dosimetric parameters of the auto-optimized plans with the optimal-object template (ATP) and the clinical plan (CP) were compared by the paired t-test. The changes in the dosimetric parameters and similarity parameter α were statistically compared by Pearson′s correlation analysis. The linear fitting of the dosimetric parameters with α was used by least squares method to explore the tendency of the ATP dosimetric parameters relative to CP. Results The dosimetric parameters of ATP for 13 cases were slightly worse than those of CP. The conformal index (P=0. 004), heterogeneous index (P= 0. 015),V40(P= 0. 003) and mean dose (P= 0. 022) of the intestine significantly differed. The α values of these 13 cases were 2. 67,2. 60,2. 60,2. 49,2. 67,2. 74,2. 72,2. 48, 2. 53,2. 86,2. 68,2. 56 and 2. 63. The α value was significantly correlated with the V40 or mean dose of the bladder (r= 0. 649 and 0. 603,P= 0. 016 and 0. 029).Along with the increase of α value ,V40 and mean dose of the intestine for ATP were gradually deteriorated than those of CP . The remaining dosimetric para-meters of ATP were close to or superior to those of CP. Conclusions The results of ATP are slightly worse than those of CP, whereas can satisfy the clinical requirements. The TL, the quality of TL and ATP remain to be further optimized.

Expression,prognosis and function of long chain non-coding RNA-Linc00152 in breast cancer / 实用肿瘤学杂志

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the expression,prognosis and related function of Linc00152 in breast cancer.Methods Thirty-three cases of breast specimens were selected for RNA-Sequencing.The expression of Linc00152 was detected by qPCR in 50 pairs of breast cancer tissues and adjacent tissues.Combined with GEO and TCGA databases,the correla-tion between Linc00152 expression and the degree of malignancy and the prognosis of patients was analyzed.Cell proliferation,apopto-sis and cell migration were detected in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line,gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell line and renal cell carcinoma 786-O cell line.Results Linc00152 was highly expressed in breast cancer(P<0.001),and was higher in HER2 posi-tive and triple negative breast cancer(P<0.001).In patients with high expression of Linc00152,the event-free survival and the me-tastasis-free survival were very poor(P<0.001,P<0.01).After knockdown Linc00152,the cell proliferation,migration and inva-sion were decreased and the apoptosis was increased(P<0.05).Conclusion Linc00152 has a role of promoting cancer in malignant tumors and may be a potential therapeutic target.

Acceptance Test and Image Quality Assurance of MRI Simulator Equipment / 中国医疗器械杂志

MRI simulator(MRI-Sim) images have unique clinical advantages with higher resolution of soft tissue and clearer visualization of tissue boundaries. Thus, the precise positioning of the tumor target area can be achieved and it is widely used in the field of radiotherapy. This article focuses on the acceptance test project and image quality assurance work of MRI-Sim equipment. The obtained ACR phantom images were used to analyze various image quality assurance indicators, and the results all reached the set standards, thereby ensuring that the obtained images meet the requirements of clinical applications.

Evaluation of the quality and efficiency of SRT plans for intracranial tumors using Fixed and Iris collimators of CyberKnife / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To discuss and evaluate the dosimetric characteristics of different plans implementing stereotactic radiotherapy(SRT)for intracranial tumors using Fixed and Iris collimators of CyberKnife VSI.Methods Twenty patients with intracranial tumors were selected and divided into group A with a small target volume(≤30 cm3)and group B with a large target volume(≥30 cm3). There were 10 patients in each group,and the prescribed dose to the target was 21 Gy in 3 fractions. For each patient, two treatment plans were designed using Fixed and Iris collimators. By analyzing the dosimetric parameters such as conformity index(CI),homogeneity index(HI), gradient index(GI), gradient score index(GSI), and organs at risk (OAR),the quality and efficiency of the plans were evaluated in order to discuss the beam characteristics for two sets of collimators. The difference was analyzed with the paired t-test. Results The mean time of Iris plan for delivering was significantly less than that of Fixed plan(group A:P=0.001;group B:P=0.000). In group B,the peripheral dose(20% and 10% of the prescribed dose)volumes of Fixed plan were significantly less than those of Iris plan(P=0.001 and 0.009). For OAR,D minof the visual pathway and D meanor D minof the eyeball in group B were significantly different between Fixed and Iris plans(all P<0.05), while in group A, only D minof the optic chiasm was significantly different between the two plans(P=0.043). For the other parameters of targets,there were no significant differences between Fixed and Iris plans in both groups(all P>0.05). Conclusions Apart from less treatment time in the Iris plan, there are no significant dosimetric differences between the two collimator plans of CyberKnife VSI in treating small intracranial tumor. For the large and complex tumor,although Iris plan meets the requirement for OAR dose constraints,its low-dose volumes are larger than those of Fixed plan. Further studies of the dosimetric characteristics in CyberKnife should be done.

Evaluation of plan quality between two treatment planning systems for volumetric modulated arc therapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To investigate the plan quality between two treatment planning systems (TPSs) for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods VMAT plans based on Varian Eclipse and Philips Pinnacle TPS were designed for 10 cervical cancer patients (2, 3 Arcs) and 10 prostate cancer patients ( 1, 2 Arcs) . The delivery system of VMAT was Varian ClinaciX machine, and RapidArc was used. The treatment plan quality between the two TPSs was evaluated based on dose distribution, delivery efficiency, and parameter settings. The differences between the two TPSs were compared using paired t-test. Results For cervical cancer patients, the 2-Arc VMAT plans based on the Pinnacle was slightly better than those based on the Eclipse in terms of the conformal index ( CI) of planning target volume ( PTV) , rectum V30 and V40 , and bladder V30 and V40 , and the homogeneity index ( HI) of PTV and PTV1 as well as CI of PTV1 in the Eclips were slightly better than those in the Pinnacle( P<005) Pinnacle were slightly worse than those in the Eclipse ( P>005) . The number of monitor units with 2-Arcs and 3-Arcs plans of the Eclipse was significantly smaller than those in the Pinnacle (P<005). For prostate cancer patients, The 1-arc VMAT plans of the Pinnacle TPS were slightly superior to those of the Eclipse TPS in terms of the HI of PTV, rectumV30 and V40 , and bladderV30 and V40 , but the former was slight inferior to the latter in terms of the CI of PTV (P<005). The number of monitor units of 1-arc and 2-Arcs plans showed no significant difference between the two TPSs (P>005). Conclusions For patients with cervical cancer and prostate cancer, the VMAT plans based on Varian Eclipse and Philips Pinnacle TPS can achieve a clinically acceptable dose distribution and show a little difference in the treatment plan quality. However, we will still need more cases to further study and determine the performance characteristics of the commercial TPSs for optimizing VMAT.

Evaluation of plan quality between two treatment planning systems for volumetric modulated arc therapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To investigate the plan quality between two treatment planning systems (TPSs) for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods VMAT plans based on Varian Eclipse and Philips Pinnacle TPS were designed for 10 cervical cancer patients (2, 3 Arcs) and 10 prostate cancer patients ( 1, 2 Arcs) . The delivery system of VMAT was Varian ClinaciX machine, and RapidArc was used. The treatment plan quality between the two TPSs was evaluated based on dose distribution, delivery efficiency, and parameter settings. The differences between the two TPSs were compared using paired t-test. Results For cervical cancer patients, the 2-Arc VMAT plans based on the Pinnacle was slightly better than those based on the Eclipse in terms of the conformal index ( CI) of planning target volume ( PTV) , rectum V30 and V40 , and bladder V30 and V40 , and the homogeneity index ( HI) of PTV and PTV1 as well as CI of PTV1 in the Eclips were slightly better than those in the Pinnacle( P<005) Pinnacle were slightly worse than those in the Eclipse ( P>005) . The number of monitor units with 2-Arcs and 3-Arcs plans of the Eclipse was significantly smaller than those in the Pinnacle (P<005). For prostate cancer patients, The 1-arc VMAT plans of the Pinnacle TPS were slightly superior to those of the Eclipse TPS in terms of the HI of PTV, rectumV30 and V40 , and bladderV30 and V40 , but the former was slight inferior to the latter in terms of the CI of PTV (P<005). The number of monitor units of 1-arc and 2-Arcs plans showed no significant difference between the two TPSs (P>005). Conclusions For patients with cervical cancer and prostate cancer, the VMAT plans based on Varian Eclipse and Philips Pinnacle TPS can achieve a clinically acceptable dose distribution and show a little difference in the treatment plan quality. However, we will still need more cases to further study and determine the performance characteristics of the commercial TPSs for optimizing VMAT.

The preliminary comparison of the reconstructed doses with electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and dynalogs files for in vivo phantom dosimetry / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective To study the difference of the constructed doses between electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and dynalogs files of linac for in vivo phantom dosimetry.Methods Twelve pelvic patients treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were selected and the information of each plan was copied to theCheese phantom to recalculate the doses before delivered on Varian RapidArc Linac.TheCheese phantom was placed on the isocenter and the electronic portal image (EPI) formed by the EPID was sent to EPIgray software to reconstruct the actual delivered doses.Meanwhile,dynalogs files were respectively imported to the Mobius software to reconstruct the actual delivered doses too.The point dose in the center of each VMAT plan (the center of the effective sensitive volume of ionization chamber) was measured by the A1SL ionization chamber.At the same time,the dose of sensitive volume of ionization chamber from treatment planning systcm (TPS) was recorded.Results The relative deviation between the dose from TPS and the measurement results by the ionization chamber was 1.13％.The difference between the reconstructed doses of EPID-based or the dynalogs file-based with the measurement results by the ionization chamber was not statistically significant (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions The two methods of dose reconstruction can provide reference for in vivo dosimetry of VMAT.

Effect of hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy on acute toxicities for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) combined with concurrent chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx. Methods:Patients with stageⅢ-ⅣA carcinoma of the hypopharynx were treated with IMRT and cisplatin-based concurrent chemotherapy. Two groups were di-vided according to the prescription dose to the primary gross tumor volume, as follows:Cohort-1 comprised patients who were recruit-ed before February 2013 (70 Gy/33 F and 2.12 Gy/F);and Cohort-2 comprised patients who were recruited since February 2013 (69 Gy/30 F and 2.30 Gy/F). Acute toxicities were evaluated. This study was registered with the number ChiCTR-ONRC-14004240. Results:Between August 2008 and December 2014, a total of 76 patients (35 in Cohort-1 and 41 in Cohort-2) were recruited. No xerostomia of grade 3 and higher was observed in all patients, who showed low incidences of grade 3 skin reaction, oral mucositis, and dysphagia. All patients did not show acute toxicities of higher than grade 4. No statistical differences in acute toxicities were observed between the two cohorts. No statistical difference was observed in acute toxicities between the IMRT techniques. Induction chemotherapy was the inde-pendent prognostic factor for grade 2 xerostomia (P=0.002). Conclusion:The 69 Gy/30 F hypofractionated IMRT was safe and effec-tive in the treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx. Late toxicities and long-term outcome need to be investigated further.

Patient-specific dose verification method using ArcCHECK for total marrow irradiation with intensity modulated arc therapy / 中国医疗器械杂志

To investigate the patient-specific dose verification method using ArcCHECK for total marrow irradiation (TMI) with Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Helical Tomotherapy (HT). The kVCT images collected from 8 patients were respectively designed for RapidArc and Tomotherapy plans in total marrow irradiation. ArcCHECK was used for dose verification for the head-neck, chest-abdomen and pelvic. The merging function of ArcCHECK was used in VMAT and the method of double plans (reference and delivery plans) were used in HT. The γ-analysis passing rates for the head-neck, chest-abdomen, pelvic were 98.9% ± 1.9%, 98.4% ± 1.8%, 97.4% ± 2.1% for VMAT plans and 94.3% ± 1.5%, 96.5 ± 1.2%, 94.1% ± 1.9% for HT plans. The results show that using the merging function of ArcCHECK can achieve the dose verification well for VMAT plans with TMI. The method of double plans was done for the dose verification of HT plans with TMI as well as the plans with the targets keeping away from the set-up center.

The Dose Effect of Isocenter Selection during IMRT Dose Verification with the 2D Chamber Array / 中国医疗器械杂志

To investigate the dose effect of isocenter difference during IMRT dose verification with the 2D chamber array. The samples collected from 10 patients were respectively designed for IMRT plans, the isocenter of which was independently defined as P(o), P(x) and P(y). P(o) was fixed on the target center and the other points shifted 8cm from the target center in the orientation of x/y. The PTW729 was used for 2D dose verification in the 3 groups which beams of plans were set to 0 degrees. The γ-analysis passing rates for the whole plan and each beam were gotten using the different standards in the 3 groups, The results showed the mean passing rate of γ-analysis was highest in the P(o) group, and the mean passing rate of the whole plan was better than that of each beam. In addition, it became worse with the increase of dose leakage between the leaves in P(y) group. Therefore, the determination of isocenter has a visible effect for IMRT dose verification of the 2D chamber array, The isocenter of the planning design should be close to the geometric center of target.