Purpose: This study was performed to develop a method of reducing the radiation doses to normal thoracic tissues, increasing the target dose, especially in the primary radiotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to evaluate acute/subacute toxicity of dose escalation.
Methods and materials: From December 1195 to March 1998, the technique of target splitting has been applied to 58 patients. In this period, 30 patients were treated with doses > 80 Gy (ICRU-specification, mean 85.1 Gy, range 80. 1-90.2 Gy). The target volume is split into a cranial part (e.g., upper mediastinum) and a caudal part (e.g., primary tumor and middle mediastinum). Both volumes are planned and treated independently, using conformal irradiation techniques for both parts with half-collimated fields to prevent over- or underdosage in the junction plane. After fine-adjustment of the jaws, a verification film, exposed in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) phantom, demonstrates the homogeneity of dose in the entire target volume. For comparison with conventional techniques, planning to identical doses is performed for 5 patients. Dose-volume histograms (DHVs) for normal lung tissue are presented for both methods.
Results: The irradiated volume of normal tissue of the ipsilateral lung can be lowered at dose levels > or = 65, > or =45 Gy, and > or = 20 Gy to values of 37% (range 25-54%), 49% (range 46-54%), and 86% (range 55-117%), respectively. Other organs at risk, such as heart or esophagus, can also be spared significantly. Only 1 patient showed a transient grade 3 toxicity (pneumonitis), and there where no grade 4 acute/subacute side-effects. Two patients with Stage III A central tumors in close proximity to the large vessels died due to a pulmonary hemorrhage 2 and 4 months after therapy, respectively. No patient developed esophagitis. Antimycotic prophylaxis for esophagitis and posttherapeutic steroid prophylaxis for pneumonitis for several weeks were routinely used.
Conclusion: The technique of target splitting by asymmetric collimation helps to increase conformation, and thus enhances the sparing of normal tissues. It can be used whenever there is a marked difference in the shape of the planning target volume (PTV) in a cranio-caudal direction. This technique can principally be handled with 2D-planning systems, because it is coplanar. We consider target splitting as an important tool for dose escalation in the primary radiotherapy of NSCLC, that should also be used for other lung cancer patients necessitating moderate doses only.