Dose-volume factors contributing to the incidence of radiation pneumonitis in non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • PURPOSE: To analyze acute lung toxicity data of non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy in terms of dosimetric variables, location of dose within subvolumes of the lungs, and models of normal-tissue complication probability (NTCP). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Dose distributions of 49 non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated in a dose escalation protocol between 1992 and 1999 were analyzed (dose range: 57.6-81 Gy). Nine patients had RTOG Grade 3 or higher acute lung toxicity. Correlation with dosimetric and physical variables, as well as Lyman and parallel NTCP models, was assessed. Lungs were evaluated as a single structure, as superior and inferior halves (to assess significance of dose to upper and lower lungs), and as ipsilateral and contralateral lungs. RESULTS: For the whole lung, Grade 3 or higher pneumonitis was significantly correlated (p 0.5 for superior lung indices, and >0.1 for contralateral lung indices studied). CONCLUSIONS: For these patients, commonly used dosimetric and NTCP models are significantly correlated with >or= Grade 3 pneumonitis. Equivalently strong correlations are found in the lower portion of the lungs and the ipsilateral lung, but not in the upper portion or contralateral lung.

publication date

  • October 1, 2002

Research

keywords

  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
  • Lung
  • Lung Neoplasms
  • Radiation Pneumonitis
  • Radiotherapy, Conformal

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0036803125

PubMed ID

  • 12243805

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 54

issue

  • 2