An Overview on the Clinical Application of Radiobiological Modeling in Radiation Therapy of Cancer

Abstract

Analysing the dose distribution inside target volumes of cancer patients before radiation delivery and then selection of the biologically optimal dose distribution has been one of the crucial steps in recent treatment planning developments. Plan evaluation and optimization have been based on the physical dose distribution and dose-volume parameters for several decades. However, with the development of a. clinical radiobiology in both domains of tumor and normal tissue response to radiation, ii) existence of reliable clinical results, and b. Emergence of new mathematical models in cancer biology and treatment, radiation scientists have been motivated to calculate tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for modern complex clinical treatment plans. The prediction of clinical outcome in terms of TCP in radiation therapy and its development have been an interesting subject of investigations for several decades. Additionally, this process has provided new information on radiotherapy consequences such as increased local control rates and lower complications rates. It also has helped treatment teams to choose optimum plans for individual patients. In this overview, we will look into some of these studies and give emphasis on potential benefits of TCP/NTCP calculations in different areas of radiation therapy such as plan evaluation, and the uncertainties associated with dose delivery.