Evaluation of the motion of lung tumors during stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) using real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system (RTRT)

Purpose: We investigated the usefulness of four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) performed before stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in determining the internal margins for peripheral lung tumors. Methods and Materials: The amplitude of the movement of a fiducial marker near a lung tumor measured using the maximum intensity projection (MIP) method in 4DCT imaging was acquired before the SBRT (Amp(CT)) and compared with the mean amplitude of the marker movement during SBRT (Amp(mean)) and with the maximum amplitude of the marker movement during SBRT (Amp(max)) using a real-time tumortracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system with 22 patients. Results: There were no significant differences between the means of the Amp(mean) and the means of the Amp(CT) in all directions (LR, P = 0.45; CC, P = 0.80; AP, P = 0.65). The means of the Amp(max) were significantly larger than the means of the Amp(CT) in all directions (LR, P < 0.01; CC, P = 0.03; AP, P < 0.01). In the lower lobe, the mean difference of the Amp(CT) from the mean of the Amp(max) was 5.7 +/- 8.0 mm, 12.5 +/- 16.7 mm, and 6.8 +/- 8.5 mm in the LR, CC, and AP directions, respectively. Conclusions: Acquiring 4DCT MIP images before the SBRT treatment is useful to establish the mean amplitude for a patient during SBRT but it underestimates the maximum amplitude during actual SBRT. Caution must be paid to determine the margin with the 4DCT especially for tumors at the lower lobe where it is of the potentially greatest benefit. (C) 2016 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd.