Comparison of Adaptive plan doses using Velocity generated synthetic CT with KV CBCT and re-planning CT

Abstract: Introduction: This study uses KV CBCT based Synthetic CT (sCT) generated through Velocity workstation and compare the target and normal tissue doses with Adaptive plan CT doses. Methods: Thirty head and neck cancer patients undergoing Adaptive Radiation Therapy (ART) were included in this retrospective study. Initially, patient underwent treatment with the primary plan. After subsequent indications of major changes in patients' physicality and anatomy adaptive CT scans were acquired as per institutional protocol. Both the primary planning CT and the indicative cone-beam CT (CBCT) last acquired before the commencement of the adaptive treatment were imported into Velocity workstation. Rigid and deformable image registration techniques were used for the generation of a Synthetic CT (sCT). Simultaneously replanning was done on re-planning CT (rCT) for adaptive plan execution. The primary plan dose was subsequently mapped and deformed onto the Synthetic CT in Velocity workstation, allowing for a comparative dosimetric analysis between the sCT and rCT plan doses. This comparison was conducted in both Velocity and Eclipse, focusing on dose variations across different organs at risk (OARs) and the planning target volume (PTV). Additionally, dosimetric indices were evaluated to assess and validate the accuracy and quality of the synthetic CT-based dose mapping relative to adaptive planning. Results: The dosimetric comparison between sCT and rCT stated that Mean dose for OARs and PTVs were found to be similar in the two planning and the level of confidence by using T-statistics. Collaborative research has the potential to eliminate the need of rCT as a standard requirement. Conclusion: The sCT shows comparable CT numbers and doses to the replanning CT, suggesting it's potential as a replacement pending clinical correlation and contour adjustments.