Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, has treated its first patient using Monte Carlo photon dose planning in RayStation®*. The decision to go clinical was made after a thorough validation of the functionality. The first patient, who has cervical cancer involving the lymph nodes, was recently treated.
In April 2018, RayStation was selected for particle therapy treatment planning in a joint decision by clinicians and researchers at Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT), Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). Heidelberg University Hospital extended its RayStation installation for photon beam therapy in July 2018, strengthening the existing partnership with RaySearch. The order reflects the hospital’s aim of adopting RayStation as its sole treatment planning system, consolidating several legacy systems.
A vital feature in a treatment planning system is the ability to calculate the radiation dose a patient would receive during a proposed treatment. This involves modeling the components of the treatment machine, the patient’s anatomy and the radiation beam itself. RayStation 8B introduced the Monte Carlo dose calculation method for photon radiation, based on the well-known Monte Carlo algorithm, which is widely regarded as the gold standard for dose calculation.
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The drawback of Monte Carlo has traditionally been prohibitively long calculation times. However, the GPU-based dose engine in RayStation overcomes this limitation. As an example, the dose for a dual-arc VMAT plan can be computed in less than 30 seconds – faster than any other system on the market. The Monte Carlo dose engine can also be used to calculate dose during optimization of the treatment plan, which can improve accuracy.
Bernhard Rhein, PhD and medical physicist at Heidelberg University Hospital, says: “The Monte Carlo dose engine has resulted in more accurate dose computation, especially for bone structures and the borders between tissues of differing densities. This is a significant step forward in bringing the calculated dose closer to the actual dose.”
Johan Löf, CEO and founder of RaySearch, says: “Improving the speed and accuracy of dose computation for clinics is vital to our ambition of taking radiation therapy forward. Dose accuracy is key to effective treatment that spares healthy tissue, while high calculation speed saves valuable planning time. Monte Carlo dose planning in RayStation meets both of these needs.”
