Treatment planning and outcomes effects of reducing the preferred mean esophagus dose for conventionally fractionated non-small cell lung cancer radiotherapy Journal Article


Authors: Yorke, E. D.; Thor, M.; Gelblum, D. Y.; Gomez, D. R.; Rimner, A.; Shaverdian, N.; Shepherd, A. F.; Simone, C. B. 2nd; Wu, A.; McKnight, D.; Jackson, A.
Article Title: Treatment planning and outcomes effects of reducing the preferred mean esophagus dose for conventionally fractionated non-small cell lung cancer radiotherapy
Abstract: Based on an analysis of published literature, our department recently lowered the preferred mean esophagus dose (MED) constraint for conventionally fractionated (2 Gy/fraction in approximately 30 fractions) treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) with the goal of reducing the incidence of symptomatic acute esophagitis (AE). The goal of the change was to encourage treatment planners to achieve a MED close to 21 Gy while still permitting MED to go up to the previous guideline of 34 Gy in difficult cases. We compared all our suitable LA-NSCLC patients treated with plans from one year before through one year after the constraint change. The primary endpoint for this study was achievability of the new constraint by the planners; the secondary endpoint was reduction in symptomatic AE. Planners were able to achieve the new constraint in statistically significantly more cases during the year following its explicit implementation than in the year before (P = 0.0025). Furthermore, 38% of patients treated after the new constraint developed symptomatic AE during their treatment as opposed to 48% of the patients treated before. This is a clinically desirable endpoint although the observed difference was not statistically significant. A subsequent power calculation suggests that this is due to the relatively small number of patients in the study. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
Keywords: treatment planning; non-small cell lung cancer; dose-volume constraints; normal tissue complications probability
Journal Title: Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics
Volume: 22
Issue: 2
ISSN: 1526-9914
Publisher: American College of Medical Physics  
Date Published: 2021-02-01
Start Page: 42
End Page: 48
Language: English
DOI: 10.1002/acm2.13150
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC7882106
PUBMED: 33492763
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 1 March 2021 -- Source: Scopus
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MSK Authors
  1. Daphna Y Gelblum
    228 Gelblum
  2. Daniel R Gomez
    237 Gomez
  3. Andreas Rimner
    527 Rimner
  4. Abraham Jing-Ching Wu
    402 Wu
  5. Andrew Jackson
    253 Jackson
  6. Ellen D Yorke
    450 Yorke
  7. Maria Elisabeth Thor
    149 Thor
  8. Annemarie Fernandes Shepherd
    103 Shepherd
  9. Charles Brian Simone
    192 Simone