Local control and toxicity after magnetic resonance imaging (MR)-guided single fraction lung stereotactic ablative radiotherapy

Purpose: Magnetic resonance imaging (MR)-guided radiotherapy permits continuous intrafraction visualization and use of automatic triggered beam delivery, with use of smaller planning target volumes (PTV). We report on long-term clinical outcomes following MR-guided single fraction (SF) lung SABR on a 0.35 T linac. Materials and Methods: Details of patients treated with SF-SABR for lung tumors were accessed from an ethics approved institutional database. A breath-hold 3D MR simulation scan was performed using a true FISP sequence, followed by a breath-hold 3D CT scan. The gross tumor volume (GTV) was first contoured on the breath-hold CT scan, which was then compared with contours on the 3D MR scan, before the GTV was finalized. SABR plans used step-and-shoot IMRT beams to a PTV derived by adding a 5 mm margin to the breath-hold GTV, and a 3 mm gating window was used. SABR was delivered during repeated breathholds, using automatic beam gating with continuous visualization of the GTV in a sagittal MR plane. Results: Between 2018-2022, 50 consecutive patients were treated, and 69% had a primary non-small cell lung cancer. Median PTV was 11.2 cc (range 3.9-53.5); 80% of GTV's were located & LE;2.5 cm from the chest wall. Prescribed doses were 34 Gy (in 58%), 30 Gy (32%), or between 20-28 Gy (10%). After a median follow-up of 18.1 months (95% CI 12.8-23.5), the 2-year survival was 82% (89% for primary NSCLC and 62% for metastases). After a median follow-up of 16.1 months (95% CI 11.2-21.1), local recurrences developed in 2 patients (4%). The 3-year local control rate was 97%, and just 1 patient developed grade & GE;3 toxicity (chest wall pain). Conclusion: MR-guided SF-SABR delivery to lung tumors on a 0.35 T linac, using repeated breath-holds with automatic beam gating, achieves good tumor control and low toxicity. & COPY; 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. Radiotherapy and Oncology 187 (2023) 1-6 This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

This study investigated the long-term clinical outcomes of MR-guided SF-SABR on a 0.35 T linac for lung tumors. The results showed that SF-SABR, using automatic beam gating during breath-holds, achieved good tumor control and low toxicity.