A correlation study on the displacement of the whole breast target after breast-conserving surgery based on four-dimensional computed tomography / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the correlations of the whole breast displacement in different respiratory cycle during free breathing (FB) following breast-conserving surgery to the displacement of selected skin marker,nipple,and selected surgical clip based on four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT).Methods Thirteen breast cancer patients who had undergone breast-conserving surgery received whole breast intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).Respiration-synchronized 4D-CT image data were gathered during FB and were exported to the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system,and the whole breast target,nipple,superior clip,and metal marker on the skin at the anterior body midline were delineated on the CT images of ten phases of the respiratory cycle by the same radiotherapist based on the same delineating criteria.The displacement distances of the delineated target in the mediolateral (x),anteroposterior (y),and superoinferior (z) axles were achieved,and the correlations of the whole breast target displacement to the displacement of the clip,nipple,and skin marker were analyzed.The ipsilateral lung was delineated on the CT images of every phase of the respiratory cycle,and the changes in ipsilateral lung volume were analyzed during the respiratory cycle relative to the displacement of the breast.Results The maximal displacement distances of the whole breast target in the x,y,and z axles during FB were 0.71,0.76 and 1.29 mm,respectively ( F =5.755,P ＜ 0.05 ).There was no relationship between the three-dimensional (3D) displacement of the whole breast and the volume of the whole breast (r =-0.264,P ＜ 0.05 ),and there was no relationship between the displacemeat of the whole breast and the volume change of the ipsilateral lung ( r =0.346,P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant difference among the mean target displacement distances in 3 axles,and among 2 selected successive end-inspiration (EI) phases and 3 selected successive end-expiration (EE) phases.There was no significant difference between the volumes of the whole breast targets at the selected El and EE phases.There was no relationship between the displacement of the whole breast target and the displacement of the nipple,skin marker or superior clip in the cavity along the x- and z-axles.Along the y-axle,8/13,7/11 and 9/13 of the patients showed displacement of the whole breast target relative to the displacement of the nipple,skin marker and superior clip respectively.However,according to a population-based analysis,the displacement of the whole breast target was only significantly associated with the displacement of the superior clip ( r =0.657,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions The clip registration is more credible and sensitive than a skin marker or the nipple for measuring and correcting the displacement of the whole breast target during radiotherapy.