Correlation of 2D parameters to lung and heart dose-volume in radiation treatment of breast cancer

摘要

The use of radiation therapy in the post-lumpectomy/ mastectomy setting in breast cancer is current standard of care and is an effective means of decreasing locore-gional recurrences with good cosmetic results [1-3]. However, after 10-15 years of radiation treatment, excess lung and cardiac mortalities are also coming into the picture for older radiation treatment techniques [4,5]. Modern treatment techniques such as field-infield (FIF), intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and rotational therapy provide dose-volume information for outcome analysis. The conventional treatment methods [two-dimensional (2D)] are still being used in many parts of the world and require volumetric information in order to estimate the dose to a portion of lung and cardiac tissue. The volume of critical structures in the treatment fields can vary greatly due to intrinsic factors such as patient anatomy and tumor location; straining the balance between dose homogeneity and dose to the adjacent organs.