Lung SBRT through Radiobiology

Abstract

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as a standard treatment modality for medically inoperable early-stage lung cancer patients. The aim of this paper is to calculate radiobiological parameters for a sample of 39 patients who underwent lung SBRT. Materials and Methods: For SBRT, a typical regimen of 50 Gy in 4 - 5 fractions results in local tumor control rates around 99.9%. We calculate dose volume histograms (DVHs) of targeted tumors and organs at risk for 39 patients. All patients received 4D imaging, and their internal treatment volumes (ITVs) were created by phase-based sorting of multiple CT datasets. Planning target volume (PTV) diameters ranged from 2.0 to 5.7 cm. The DVHs for the PTV and organs at risk were analyzed using a Biosuite algorithm to calculate the equivalent uniform dose (EUD), tumor control probability (TCP) via a Poisson model, and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) via an LKB model. The radiobiological effects were analyzed by correlating EUD and TCP with PTV volumes. Results: The mean PTV volume was 31.60 ± 25.55 cc. The mean EUDs were 5.19 ± 2.84, 5.66 ± 4.95, 61.45 ± 29.18, 3.31 ± 5.92, 6.45 ± 5.18, and 12.22 ± 5.94 Gy for lungs, spinal cord, chest/ribs, heart, esophagus, and skin, respectively. On average, the heart had the lowest EUD and the chest/ribs had the highest (61.45 ± 29.18 Gy). The mean NTCPs were estimated at 3.75% ± 2.61%, 36.25% ± 36.42%, and 0.59% ± 1.48%, for the lungs, chest and esophagus, respectively. The NTCPs of spinal cord, heart, and skin were 0.00%. The mean TCP value was 99.72% ± 0.44%. The mean BED value for our study was 109.49 Gy. Conclusions: We have calculated radiobiological predictors based on DVHs for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer via SBRT. Our calculated predictors are compatible with previously published SBRT reports.