Author(s)

Neelakandan Vijayaprabhu, Karunanithi Gunaseelan, Nagarajan Vivekanandan, Nagamuthu Karthik, Cholayil Shamsudheen, K. S. Reddy

Department of Medical Physics, Anna University, Chennai, India.
Department of Medical Physics, Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai, India.
Department of Radiotherapy, Regional Cancer Center, Jawharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, India.

Introduction: During postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT), it is recommended to boost the postmastectomy surgical scar with additional 10 Gy in 5 fractions in the patients with close or positive surgical margins. The electron beam therapy, though cumbersome, is usually preferred since it has the desired rapid fall of a dose beyond R₈₅. An alternative but easier and reproducible treatment method for PMRT surgical scar boost using 3D CT image-based HDR surface mould brachytherapy is introduced and analyses of the target coverage and dose nearby organs-at-risk (OARs) using this method are evaluated in this study. Methods and Materials: This study includes twelve patients (five left-sided and seven right-sided chest wall), who were planned and treated with CT-image based surface mould HDR brachytherapy for chest wall scar boost (CWB) using Catheter Flap Set^TM (Varian Medical Systems, USA) that were given concurrently during external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) treatments. Since no guidelines are available for delineating clinical target volume (CTV) structure to be used for postmastectomy scar boost, the CTV in this study was a uniform 5-mm thick volume drawn at 5 mm beneath the skin (CTVhdr_evl) and its extent was made conforming to the boost area marked on the skin and made visible in CT images by radiopaque wires. Results: Prescribed dose (PD) to CTVhdr_evl is 7.5 Gy in 3 fractions, and 2.5 Gy per fraction. The CTVhdr_evl volume receives the PD with mean V_100%, V_98% and V_95% values which are 98.57%, 99.63% and 100% respectively. The mean dose for heart (MHD) is 2.71 Gy in left-sided CWB and 1.80 Gy in right-sided CWB plans. Mean lung dose (MLD) is 2.48 Gy for ipsilateral lung and 0.76 Gy for contralateral lung. Maximum dose to contralateral breast is 4.93 Gy and the mean dose is 0.79 Gy. The mean percent dose to the skin volume overlying the CTVhdr_evl is 138.6% and 3.7% of skin volume received 200% of the PD. Conclusion: The 3D image-based HDR surface mould achieved good CTV coverage with acceptable doses to OARs. Patient preparation, treatment planning, and execution in this method are less cumbersome and reproducible. Thus surface mould using flap applicator can be used whenever postmastectomy surgical scar boost is required.

Postmastectomy Radiation; Surgical Scar Boost; HDR Surface Mould; Catheter Flap

N. Vijayaprabhu, K. Gunaseelan, N. Vivekanandan, N. Karthik, C. Shamsudheen and K. Reddy, "Postmastectomy Scar Boost Irradiation Using HDR Surface Mould Brachytherapy by 3D Image-Based Volume Optimization," International Journal of Medical Physics, Clinical Engineering and Radiation Oncology, Vol. 2 No. 4, 2013, pp. 139-146. doi: 10.4236/ijmpcero.2013.24019.