The effect of multi-leaf collimator leaf width on VMAT treatment plan quality

Background The advent of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) in radiotherapy has made it one of the most commonly used techniques in clinical practice. VMAT is the delivery of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) while the gantry is in motion, and existing literature has shown it has decreased treatment delivery times and the number of monitor units without sacrificing coverage. It has previously been shown that for IMRT, multi-leaf collimators (MLC) with narrower leaf widths produce demonstrably higher treatment plan quality. However, as VMAT is rapidly becoming the global standard, this needs to be re-evaluated, especially in a global context. This study assesses the impact of MLC leaf width on VMAT treatment plans and asks whether reducing the number of leaves- and thus increasing leaf width- provides clinically acceptable treatment plans using VMAT delivery. Material & methods Using Varian Eclipse, 51 anonymised patients with prostate, lung, liver, colorectal, or cervical cancer had VMAT treatment plans generated. Treatment plans were generated for MLC leaf widths of 2.5, 5 and 10 mm. Plans were compared using D-2[%], D-50[%], and D-98[%], homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI), average leaf pair opening (ALPO), modulation factor (MF) and Estimated Treatment Delivery Time. Results The dose to the target structures showed little difference between 2.5 and 5 mm MLC leaves, however 10 mm MLC provided 5% more median dose than the narrower leaf widths for D-2[%] (p < 0.05) and D-50[%] (p < 0.05). The average HI per leaf width was 0.0777 for 2.5 mm, 0.0752 for 5 mm, and 0.0890 for 10 mm. Organs At Risk (OAR) sparing was consistent between all leaf widths except at low dose percentages, where 10 mm MLC delivered an extra dose to the bladder (p < 0.05) and the heart (p < 0.05). The average ALPO was 38.0 mm for 2.5 mm, 34.1 mm for 5 mm, and 32.7 mm for 10 mm leaf width. 10 mm MLC leaves traveled a shorter distance from the center (p < 0.05). The median MF was 336 MU/Gy for 2.5 mm, 344 MU/Gy for 5 mm, and 384 MU/Gy for 10 mm. There were no differences in estimated treatment delivery time between MLC leaf width. Conclusion There is little difference in treatment quality between any of the investigated MLC leaf widths. This work demonstrates that for VMAT treatments, wider MLC leaf widths can still deliver acceptable treatment plans. This finding has potential implications for radiotherapy in low- and middle-income countries and low socio-economic or rural areas where a focus on MLC robustness and LINAC up-time is paramount.