Dosimetry Comparison of Gamma Knife and External Beam Radiation Therapy on Brain Tumors
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Date
2017-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
The practice of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) dates back to 1951 with Swedish Neurosurgeon Lars Leksell. However, in an age where cancer diagnosis and treatment has become so prevalent for our society, results from clinical techniques such as SRS have become more significant. The two most commonly used methods for performing SRS are Gamma Knife (GK) and External Beam Radiotherapy/Linear Accelerator (LINAC). While the two methods have been clinically performed independently, very few attempts to compare the applied treatment plans have been made. This comparison involves evaluating the different methodologies with identical patients, using identical imaging, critical structures, and target volumes. This is the focus and goal of the study. The process of obtaining the results involves first yielding simulated treatment plans from GK and LINAC methods independently. Identical patients’ CT image are used and dosages are normalized between the methodologies, for the percent prescription isodoses for GK and LINAC differs from one another. From there, the LINAC data is sent to the GK system and a side-by-side comparison can be made. Using the results stemming from this project, radiation oncologists and other cancer health professionals can more confidently make the decision of what method of SRS to deliver to the patient while maximizing the cancer tissue treated and doing the least harm to the healthy tissue surrounding the malignancy. The implications of this research should lead to continued comparative examination of these SRS methodologies and their effectiveness to treat the patients’ target volumes, leading to more benefits reared by patients.
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Keywords
Radiation Therapy, Oncology, Tumor, Gamma Knife, Linear Accelerator (LINAC)