Dosimetric impact of mixed - energy volumetric modulated arc therapy plans for high - risk prostate cancer

Purpose: This study investigated the dosimetric impact of mixing low and high energy treatment plans for high prostate cancer treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique in the form of RapidArc. Methods: A cohort of 12 prostate cases involving proximal seminal vesicles and lymph nodes was selected for this retrospective study. For each prostate case, the single-energy plans (SEPs) and mixed-energy plans (MEPs) were generated. First, the SEPs were created using 6 mega-voltage (MV) energy for both the primary and boost plans. Second, the MEPs were created using 16 MV energy for the primary plan and 6 MV energy for the boost plan. The primary and boost MEPs used identical beam parameters and same dose optimization values as in the primary and boost SEPs for the corresponding case. The dosimetric parameters from the composite plans (SEPs and MEPs) were evaluated. Results: The dose to the target volume was slightly higher (on average <1%) in the SEPs than in the MEPs. The conformity index (CI) and homogeneity index (HI) values between the SEPs and MEPs were comparable. The dose to rectum and bladder was always higher in the SEPs (average difference up to 3.7% for the rectum and up to 8.4% for the bladder) than in the MEPs. The mean dose to femoral heads was higher by about 0.8% (on average) in the MEPs than in the SEPs. The number of monitor units and integral dose were higher in the SEPs compared to the MEPs by average differences of 9.1% and 5.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The preliminary results from this study suggest that use of mixed-energy VMAT plan for high-risk prostate cancer could reduce the integral dose and minimize the dose to rectum and bladder, but for the higher femoral head dose.