Abstract:
Objective To investigate the impact of different immobilization methods on setup errors during radiotherapy using active breathing control (ABC) system for patients with lung tumor and analyze the potential influence of body mass index (BMI) on setup errors.
Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of 30 patients with lung tumor who underwent ABC system radiotherapy at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences between January 2022 and June 2023. Among these patients, 23 were male and 7 were female, with a median age of 66 years, and an age range of 47–79 years. Patients were divided into a body fram immobilization group and a non-body fram immobilization group on the basis of whether body film fixation was used. Patients in the body fram immobilization and non-body fram immobilization groups were further subdivided into a BMI normal group (18.5 kg/m2≤BMI≤24 kg/m2) and a BMI overweight group (>24 kg/m2) in accordance with BMI. All patients underwent target area position calibration via cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) before radiotherapy. CT positioning images were registered with CBCT images for target area matching, and setup error data in the left-right (LR), superior-inferior (SI), and anterior-posterior (AP) directions were collected. The inter-group comparison of measurement data was conducted using independent sample t-test. The inter-group comparison of counting data was conducted using chi-square test.
Results Among the 30 patients, 15 were allocated to the body fram immobilization group (7 in the BMI normal group and 8 in the BMI overweight group). The non-body fram immobilization group also comprised 15 patients (9 in the BMI normal group and 6 in the BMI overweight group). The setup errors in the LR and SI directions for the body fram immobilization group and the non-body fram immobilization group were (0.23±0.20) cm vs. (0.11±0.18) cm and (0.21±0.29) cm vs. (0.23±0.24) cm, respectively, with statistically significant differences (t=2.045, 1.978; both P<0.05). The setup error in the AP direction had no statistically significant differences (t=0.596, P=0.552). Within the body fram immobilization group, the setup errors in the LR, SI, and AP directions in the BMI normal group and the BMI overweight group had no statistically significant difference (t=0.486, −0.675, 0.492; all P>0.05). Within the non-body fram immobilization group, the setup error in the SI direction was higher in the BMI overweight group than in the BMI normal group ((0.15±0.27) cm vs. (0.14±0.21) cm, t=7.620, P<0.001). The differences in setup errors in the LR and AP directions between the BMI overweight and BMI normal groups were not statistically insignificant (t=1.198, 1.259; both P>0.05).
Conclusion Body film fixation and BMI influence setup errors in radiotherapy for lung tumor using the ABC system.