RBE-weighted doses in target volumes of chordoma and chondrosarcoma patients treated with carbon ion radiotherapy: Comparison of local effect models I and IV

Abstract

Background and purpose: To compare the relative biological effectiveness (RBE)-weighted dose distributions in the target volume of chordoma and chondrosarcoma patients when using two different versions of the local effect model (LEM I vs. IV) under identical conditions. Materials and methods: The patient collective included 59 patients treated with 20 fractions of carbon ion radiotherapy for chordoma and low-grade chondrosarcoma of the skull base at the Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (GSI) in 2002 and 2003. Prescribed doses to the planning target volume (PTV) were 60 (n = 49), 66 (n = 2) and 70 (n = 8) Gy (RBE). The original treatment plans that were initially biologically optimized with LEM I, were now recalculated using LEM IV based on the absorbed dose distributions. The resulting RBE-weighted dose distributions were quantitatively compared to assess the clinical impact of LEM IV relative to LEM I in the target volume. Results: LEM IV predicts 20–30 Gy (RBE) increased maximum doses as compared to LEM I, while minimum doses are decreased by 2–5 Gy (RBE). Population-based mean and median doses deviated by less than 2 Gy (RBE) between both models. Conclusions: LEM I and LEM IV-based RBE-weighted doses in the target volume may be significantly different. Replacing the applied model in patient treatments may therefore lead to local over- or underdosages in the tumor. If LEM IV is to be tested clinically, comparisons of the RBE-weighted dose distributions of both models are required for the individual patients to assess whether the LEM IV-plan would also be acceptable and prescribed dose as well as clinical outcome data have to be carefully reassessed.