Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T02:43:43.890Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The importance of collimator angle error in volumetric-modulated arc therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2015

Vicente Puchades-Puchades*
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Physics, Hospital Universitario Santa Lucia, Cartagena, Spain
Alfredo Serna-Berná
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Physics, Hospital Universitario Santa Lucia, Cartagena, Spain
Fernando Mata-Colodro
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Physics, Hospital Universitario Santa Lucia, Cartagena, Spain
David Ramos-Amores
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Physics, Hospital Universitario Santa Lucia, Cartagena, Spain
Miguel Alcaraz-Baños
Affiliation:
Departamento de radiología y medicina física, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
*
Correspondence to: Vicente Puchades Puchades, Department of Medical Physics, Hospital Universitario Santa Lucia, c/Mezquita S/n Paraje Los arcos 30202 Murcia, Spain. Tel: +34 968128600; E-mail : Vicente.puchades2@carm.es

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the dosimetric errors associated with the effect of the collimator angle error in volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) treatments.

Methods and materials

Four patients with different planning target volume (PTV) and localisations treated using VMAT were analysed (high-risk prostate, low-risk prostate, head and neck (H&N) and holocranial with hippocampus protection) in terms of dosimetric variations when errors in the collimator angle were introduced. Original plans underwent modifications of the planned collimator angles of ±0·5°, ±1° and ±1·5°. These modified plans were re-calculated using the same original plan fluencies, and the resulting dose–volume histograms and homogeneity index (HI-ICRU) were compared.

Results

For the high-risk prostate case, there was a noticeable loss of PTV dose coverage for collimator angle errors larger than ±1°, with HI-ICRU relative variations up to 75% in the range analysed. The low-risk prostate case did not present significant changes in organs at risk or PTV dose coverage. For the H&N case, the spinal cord presented changes around 4% for D0·1 cc. In the holocranial case, optic lens showed dose variations up to 5% for collimator angle errors larger than ±1°.

Conclusions

The effect of the collimator error in VMAT increased as the PTV increased.

For selecting the position of the isocentre, one should be cautious, and whenever possible choose a position close to the geometrical centre of the PTVs in order to avoid or minimise errors from the calibration of the collimator angle.

Type
Technical Note
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Otto, H. Volumetric modulated arc therapy: IMRT in a single gantry arc. Med Phys 2008; 35: 310317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Oliver, M, Gagne, I, Bush, K, Zavgorodni, S, Ansbacher, W, Beckham, W. Clinical significance of multi-leaf collimator positional errors for volumetric modulated arc therapy. Radiother Oncol 2010; 97: 554560.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Clivio, A, Fogliata, A, Franzetti-Pellanda, Aet al. Volumetric-modulated arc radiotherapy for carcinomas of the anal canal: a treatment planning comparation with fixed field IMRT. Radiother Oncol 2009; 92: 118124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4.Wolff, D, Stieler, F, Welzel, Get al. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) vs. serial tomotherapy, step-and-shoot IMRT and 3D-conformal RT for treatment of prostate cancer. Radiother Oncol 2009; 93: 226233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Vanetti, E, Clivio, A, Nicolini, Get al. Volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy for carcinomas of the oro-pharynx, hypopharynx and larynx: a treatment planning comparation with fixed field IMRT. Radiother Oncol 2009; 92: 111117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Fogliata, A, Clivio, A, Nicolini, G, Vanetti, E, Cozzi, L. Intensity modulation with photons for benign intracranial tumours: a planning comparation of volumetric single arc, helical arc and fixed gantry techniques. Radiother Oncol 2008; 89: 254262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.McGrath, S D, Matuazak, M M, Yan, Det al. Volumetric modulated arc therapy for delivery of hypofractionated stereotactic lung radiotherapy: a dosimetric and treatment efficiency analysis. Radiother Oncol 2010; 95: 153157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Salinas, J, Serna, A, Iglesias, Aet al. Early results of hypofractionated VMAT IGRT in prostate cancer. Poster presented at ASTRO, 2012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Serna, A, Puchades, V, Mata, F. Aceptación para uso clínico de un sistema de planificación de tratamientos con técnicas de IMRT y VMAT. Fís Med 2011; 12: 187196.Google Scholar
10.Mata Colodro, F, Serna Berná, A, Puchades Puchades, V. Dosimetric validation of a redundant independent calculation software for VMAT fields. Physica Medica 2013; 29 (4): 341349.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Klein, E E, Hanley, J, Bayouth, Jet al. Task Group 142 report: quality assurance of medical accelerators. Med Phys 2009; 36: 41974212.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.ICRU. International commission on radiation units and measurements: prescribing, recording and reporting photon beam IMRT. ICRU Report 83 J ICRU 2010; 10 (1): 1106.Google Scholar