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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Breast Cancer
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1397273

A novel X-Ray and γ-Ray combination strategy for radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery in patients with right breast cancer

Provisionally accepted
Kunpeng Zhang Kunpeng Zhang 1Ruixin He Ruixin He 1Fenwen Tang Fenwen Tang 1Luping Zhou Luping Zhou 1Xiaozhi Zhang Xiaozhi Zhang 1Jinsheng Li Jinsheng Li 2Zhiwei Wei Zhiwei Wei 2YI LI YI LI 1*
  • 1 The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
  • 2 Our United Corporation, Xi'an, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background and Purpose: Radiotherapy is a primary therapeutic approach for breast cancer following breast-conserving surgery. The TaiChiB dual-modality radiotherapy system combining X-ray and focused γ-ray, offers a new approach to reduce the radiation dose of organs at risk (OARs) and has the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of radiotherapy. Currently, there are few studies on the dosimetric characteristics of the TaiChiB dual-modality system for actual treatment plans for specific diseases. The purpose of this work is to study the dosimetric advantages of dual-modal systems for right breast patients after breast-conserving surgery. Material and Methods: Treatment plans for 20 patients with right breast cancer were generated for a linear accelerator (LINAC) based system and the TaiChiB dual-modality system, respectively. Volumetric modulated arc therapy plans with simultaneous integrated boost (VMAT-SIB) were made for the LINAC. Focused γ-ray was used to deliver the boost dose with the dual-modality system. The dosimetric parameters of the target and OARs were evaluated and compared between the treatment plans generated for the two systems. Results: The TaiChiB dual-modality plans exhibit a higher conformal index (CI) and lower gradient index (GI) for the PGTV and PTV compared with the LINAC-based VMAT-SIB plans. Compared to VMAT-SIB plans, the PTV Dmax, PTV Dmean, PTV V110, PGTV Dmax, and PGTV Dmean of the TaiChiB dual-modality plans are significantly lower. Meanwhile, the dose to OARs, such as the Dmean of the heart, the V5 of liver, the Dmean of ipsilateral lung, the V30 of ipsilateral lung, the V20 of ipsilateral lung, the V5 of ipsilateral lung, the Dmean of contralateral lung, Dmax of contralateral breast and the Dmean of contralateral breast are significantly reduced. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the dosimetric advantages of the novel TaiChiB dual-modality radiotherapy system for the treatment of right-sided breast cancer. Overall, for the TaiChiB dual-modality radiotherapy system, the radiation dose outside the target region decreases rapidly, thereby minimizing radiation exposure to neighboring organs and ensuring the conformity of the target area. Our research confirms the potential of the TaiChiB dual-modality system for future radiotherapy.

    Keywords: Right breast cancer, radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery, X-ray and γ-Ray Combination strategy, Radiotherapy plan, dosimetric evaluation

    Received: 07 Mar 2024; Accepted: 29 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, He, Tang, Zhou, Zhang, Li, Wei and LI. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: YI LI, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.