Clinical Implication of Dosimetry Formalisms for Electronic Low-Energy Photon Intraoperative Radiation Therapy

Purpose: Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) using the INTRABEAM, a miniature x-ray source, has shown to be effective in treating breast cancer. However, recent investigations have suggested a significant deviation between the reported and delivered doses. In this work, the dose delivered by INTRABEAM in the TARGIT breast protocol was investigated, along with the dose from the Xoft Axxent, another source used in breast IORT. Methods and Materials: The absorbed dose from the INTRABEAM was determined from ionization chamber measurements using: (a) the manufacturer-recommended formula (Zeiss V4.0 method), (b) a Monte Carlo calculated chamber conversion factor (C-Q method), and (c) the formula consistent with the TARGIT breast protocol (TARGIT method). The dose from the Xoft Axxent was determined from ionization chamber measurements using the Zeiss V4.0 method and calculated using the American Association of Physicists in Medicine TG-43 formalism. Results: For a nominal TARGIT prescription of 20 Gy, the dose at the INTRABEAM applicator surface ranged from 25.2 to 31.7 Gy according to the C-Q method for the largest (5 cm) and smallest (1.5 cm) diameter applicator, respectively. The Zeiss V4.0 method results were 7% to 10% lower (23.2 to 28.6 Gy). At 1 cm depth, the C-Q and Zeiss V4.0 absorbed doses were also larger than those predicted by the TARGIT method. The dose at 1 cm depth from the Xoft Axxent for a surface dose of 20 Gy was slightly less than INTRABEAM (3%-7% compared with C-Q method). An exception was for the 3 cm applicator, where the Xoft dose was appreciably lower (31%). Conclusions: The doses delivered in the TARGIT breast protocol with INTRABEAM were significantly greater than the prescribed 20 Gy and depended on the size of spherical applicator used. Breast IORT treatments with the Xoft Axxent received less dose compared with TARGIT INTRABEAM, which could have implications for studies comparing clinical outcomes between the 2 devices. (C) 2020 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found that the doses delivered by INTRABEAM in breast cancer IORT treatment were significantly higher than the prescribed 20 Gy, depending on the size of the applicator used. Treatments with Xoft Axxent received lower doses, which could have implications for comparing clinical outcomes between the two devices.