Copenhagen, Denmark
Onsite/Online

ESTRO 2022

Session Item

Saturday
May 07
09:00 - 10:00
Mini-Oral Theatre 1
01: Dosimetry
Catherine Khamphan, France;
Elise Konradsson, USA
1160
Mini-Oral
Physics
Safe classification of patients with CIED prior to RT of naso-/oropharyn- and esophageal carcinoma
Larissa Blümlein, Germany
MO-0055

Abstract

Safe classification of patients with CIED prior to RT of naso-/oropharyn- and esophageal carcinoma
Authors:

Larissa Blümlein1, Barbara Dobler1, Oliver Kölbl2, Ralf Ringler3

1University Hospital Regensburg, Radiotherapy - Medical Physics, Regensburg, Germany; 2University Hospital Regensburg, Radiotherapy, Regensburg, Germany; 3OTH Amberg-Weiden, Technical University of Applied Sciences, Medical Physics, Weiden i.d. Oberpfalz, Germany

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Purpose or Objective

Guidelines such as DEGRO/DGK [1] or the Dutch guideline by Hurkmans et al. [2] classify patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) into risk groups based on the dose to the CIED to avoid malfunctions due to ionizing radiation such as inadequate pulse delivery. If CIED is located outside the radiation field, dose calculation by treatment planning systems (TPS) is not sufficiently accurate for safe classification. In certain cases, a magnet is placed on the CIED for deactivation of antitachyarrhythmia (ATA) therapy during treatment. The magnet is not included in the treatment planning. This leads to further uncertainty in the dose determination at the CIED. Therefore, the dose to the CIED has to be monitored by in-vivo dosimetry during the first treatment. The aim of this study was to establish a strategy for accurate classification of patients with esophageal or naso- and oropharyngeal carcinoma into risk groups prior to first treatment. 



Material and Methods

A phantom was designed and manufactured for dose measurements at the implant by TLDs and Gafchromic films. For 14 patients with esophageal or naso- and oropharyngeal carcinoma, treatment planning was performed in the TPS Monaco (Elekta, Sweden) using VMAT technique. Dose distributions of all plans were calculated with and without a virtual magnet and compared. Measurements were performed with the magnet on the surface of the phantom to assess the influence of the magnet on the dose in the CIED. The measurements were compared to the dose calculated with and without magnet and statistically evaluated.

Results

The calculation without magnet in the TPS compared with the measurement with magnet on the surface showed a dose underestimation about 15 % on average. The comparison between calculated and measured dose with magnet on the surface showed that the CIED dose is underestimated by about 14 % on average. According to a confidence interval of 95 %, the true value is between 8 % and 20 % with a probability of 95 % in both cases. 

Conclusion

To ensure a safe classification of patients into risk groups, the calculated dose in Monaco should be increased by 20 % for dose estimation prior to radiation therapy. For VMAT irradiations of patients with esophageal or oro-/nasopharyngeal carcinoma, for which direct irradiation of the CIED is avoided, placement of the magnet does not result in significant impact on the CIED dose. Inclusion of the magnet in treatment planning does not increase the accuracy of dose calculation in these cases.

[1] B. Gauter-Fleckenstein et al., “DEGRO/DGK guideline for radiotherapy in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices,” Strahlentherapie und Onkologie : Organ der Deutschen Röntgengesellschaft", vol. 191, no. 5, pp. 393–404, 2015

[2] C. W. Hurkmans et al., “Management of radiation oncology patients with a pacemaker or ICD: a new comprehensive practical guideline in The Netherlands. Dutch Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (NVRO),” Radiation oncology, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 198, 2012