Study on Small Bowel Motion During Pancreatic Radiation Therapy
Author Information
Author(s): Anurag K Singh, Ryan M Tierney, Daniel A Low, Parag J Parikh, Robert J Myerson, Joseph O Deasy, Catherine S Wu, Gisele C Pereira, Sasha H Wahab, MS Sasa Mutic, Perry W Grigsby, Andrew J Hope
Primary Institution: National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Hypothesis
Can we characterize the motion of the duodenum compared to the remaining small bowel during radiation treatments for pancreatic cancer?
Conclusion
The volume of small bowel irradiated during pancreatic radiation therapy changes significantly between fractions, suggesting that dose escalation may be possible.
Supporting Evidence
- The volume of duodenum receiving at least 80% of the prescribed dose was consistently greater than the remaining small bowel.
- In patients with the largest inter-fraction variation, the duodenum's irradiated volume ranged from 30% to 100%.
- Only small volumes of non-duodenal small bowel received 80% of the prescribed dose.
Takeaway
This study looked at how much the small intestine moves during radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer, finding that the duodenum stays more stable than other parts.
Methodology
Nine patients undergoing radiation therapy had up to four weekly CT scans to analyze organ motion and dose distribution.
Limitations
Individual variations in organ motion make it difficult to establish general dose volume limits.
Participant Demographics
4 women and 5 men undergoing radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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