Optimization of treatment planning for hypoxic tumours and re-modulation of radiation intensity in heavy-ion radiotherapy

Abstract

Aim

The purpose of this study is to optimize treatment planning in carbon ion radiotherapy, taking into account the effect of tumour hypoxia.

Background

In conventional hadron therapy, the goal is to create a homogenous dose in the tumour area and, thus, achieve a uniform cell survival level. Since the induction of a specific damage to cells is directly influenced by the level of hypoxia in the tissue, the varying oxygen pressure in the different regions of hypoxic tumours would disrupt the uniformity of the cell survival level.

Materials and methods

Using the Geant4 Monte Carlo Code, the physical dose profile and dose-averaged linear energy transfer were calculated in the tumour. Then, the oxygen enhancement ratio in different areas of the tumour were compared with different pressures.

Results

Modulations of radiation intensities as well as energies of ion beams were calculated, both considering and disregarding the effect of hypoxia, and the required dose profiles were compared with each other. Cell survival levels were also compared between the two methods. An equation was obtained for re-modulating the beams in the presence of hypoxia, and radiation weighting factors were extracted for the beam intensities.

Conclusion

The results show that taking the effect of hypoxia into account would cause the reduction of average doses delivered to the tumour tissues up to 1.54 times. In this regard, the required dose is reduced by 1.63 times in the healthy tissues before the tumour. This will result in an effective protection of healthy tissues around the tumour.