Single-arc volumetric modulated arc therapy planning forleft breast cancer and regional nodes

Abstract

We have successfully created a single arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan for treating post-surgical left breast/chest wall and regional nodes using Elekta multileaf collimator (MLC). Dose volume histograms (DVHs) were compared between the VMAT plans and conventional tangential beam plans using a field-in-field technique, leading to significant DVH advantages in the VMAT plans. The difference between Elekta VMAT and Varian RapidArc due to different MLC designs was discussed in terms of the number of arcs required to cover a large target, highlighting a single arc capability of Elekta VMAT for a large target volume which may be less sensitive to unexpected organ motion during dose delivery.