Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A comparison of the doses received by normal cranial tissues during different simple model conventional radiotherapeutic approaches to pituitary tumours

  • Scientific Paper
  • Published:
Australasian Physical & Engineering Sciences in Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This aim of this study was to compare the doses received by critical cranial organs when three different radiation techniques were used to treat pituitary tumours. Cranial computed tomography scans of a RANDO phantom and 30 patients were used for pituitary macroadenoma radiotherapy treatment planning. For each slice, target volumes and other critical organs were contoured and three techniques were applied: (A) two parallel-opposed lateral fields, (B) two oblique fields (45°) in coronal plane and (C) two parallel-opposed lateral and anterior fields while the head was tilted 45° in the sagittal plane. The doses received by the target volume and the critical organs for each technique were calculated for all patients. Irradiation was repeated three times for each technique. Finally, the doses that reached the organs of interest resulting from these techniques were compared. The dose delivered to the temporal lobes was 105, 9 and 72 % of the prescribed dose using techniques A, B and C, respectively. The dose received by the cochlea was the lowest in technique C (27 % of prescribed dose) compared with techniques A (79 %) and B (48 %). All techniques delivered 100 % of the prescribed dose to the chiasma. Technique A increased the dose to temporal lobes and the cochlea to such an extent that they exceeded the tolerance dose. Technique B spared the temporal lobes better than technique C; however, technique C was preferred since the dose received by the cochlea in this case was the lowest of all techniques. None of the techniques spared the chiasma.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Becker G, Kocher M, Kortmann RD, Paulsen F, Jeremic B, MüllerRP Bamberg M (2002) Radiation therapy in the multimodal treatment approach of pituitary adenoma. Strahlenther Onkol 178:173–178

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Halperin EC, Perez CA, Brady LW (2008) Perez and Brady’s principles and practice of radiation oncology, 5th edn. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia

    Google Scholar 

  3. Gittoes NJ (2005) Pituitary radiotherapy: current controversies. Trends in endocrinology and metabolism. Trends Endocrinol Metab 16:407–413

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Minniti G, Jaffrain-Rea ML, Osti M, Cantore G, Enrici RM (2007) Radiotherapy for nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas: from conventional to modern stereotactic radiation techniques. Neurosurg Rev 30:167–175

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Dasher BG, Wiggers NH, Vann AM (1994) Portal design in radiation therapy. RL Bryan Company, Columbia

    Google Scholar 

  6. Loeffler JS, Shih HA (2011) Radiation therapy in the management of pituitary adenomas. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 96:1992–2003

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Fukunaga-Johnson N, Sandler HM, Marsh R, Martel MK (1998) The use of 3D conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT) to spare the cochlea in patients with medulloblastoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 41:77–82

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Paulino AC, Narayana A, Mohideen MN, Jeswani S (2000) Posterior fossa boost in medulloblastoma: an analysis of dose to surrounding structures using 3-dimensional (conformal) radiotherapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 46:281–286

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Plowman P (2002) Post-radiation sensorineuronal hearing loss. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 52:589–591

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Kwong DL, Wei WI, Sham JS, Ho WK, Yuen PW, Chua DT, Au DK, Wu PM, Choy DT (1996) Sensorineural hearing loss in patients treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a prospective study of the effect of radiation and cisplatin treatment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 36:281–289

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ahmad M, Fontenla D, Lai P, Del Rowe J, Yaparpalvi R, Deore S (1995) Three-dimensional external-beam radiation treatment planning and real-time dose verification of pituitary adenoma: clinical and physical considerations. Radiat Oncol Investig 3:141–148

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Minniti G, Traish D, Ashley S, Gonsalves A, Brada M (2005) Risk of second brain tumor after conservative surgery and radiotherapy for pituitary adenoma: update after an additional 10 years. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 90:800–804

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Bliss P, Kerr G, Gregor A (1994) Incidence of second brain tumours after pituitary irradiation in Edinburgh 1962–1990. Clin Oncol 6:361–363

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Erfurth EM, Bülow B, Mikoczy Z, Svahn-Tapper G, Hagmar L (2001) Is there an increase in second brain tumours after surgery and irradiation for a pituitary tumour? Clin Endocrinol 55:613–616

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Brada M, Ford D, Ashley S, Bliss J, Crowley S, Mason M, Rajan B, Traish D (1992) Risk of second brain tumour after conservative surgery and radiotherapy for pituitary adenoma. BMJ 304:1343–1346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Piquemal R, Cottier J, Arsene S, Lioret E, Rospars C, Herbreteau D, Jan M, Renard JP (1998) Radiation-induced optic neuropathy 4 years after radiation: report of a case followed up with MRI. Neuroradiology 40:439–441

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Atkinson AB, Allen IV, Gordon DS, Hadden DR, Maguire CJ, Trimble ER, Lyons AR (1979) Progressive visual failure in acromegaly following external pituitary irradiation. Clin Endocrinol 10:469–479

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Noad R, Narayanan KR, Howlett T, Lincoln NB, Page RC (2004) Evaluation of the effect of radiotherapy for pituitary tumours on cognitive function and quality of life. Clin Oncol 16:233–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Peace KA, Orme SM, Sebastian JP, Thompson AR, Barnes S, Ellis A, Belchetz PE (1997) The effect of treatment variables on mood and social adjustment in adult patients with pituitary disease. Clin Endocrinol 46:445–450

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Emami B, Lyman J, Brown A, Coia L, Goitein M, Munzenrider JE, Shank B, Solin LJ, Wesson M (1991) Tolerance of normal tissues to therapeutic irradiation. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 21:109–122

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Mayo C, Martel MK, Marks LB, Flickinger J, Nam J, Kirkpatrick J (2010) Radiation dose-volume effects of optic nerves and chiasm. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 76:28–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Parhar PK, Duckworth T, Shah P, Dewyngaert JK, Narayana A, Formenti SC, Shah JN (2010) Decreasing temporal lobe dose with five-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy for treatment of pituitary macroadenomas. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 78:379–384

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Breen SL, Kehagioglou P, Usher C, Plowman PN (2004) A comparison of conventional, conformal and intensity-modulated coplanar radiotherapy plans for posterior fossa treatment. Br J Radiol 77:768–774

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This article is based on part of the results extracted from a thesis code No: A-364 presented for the degree of Master of Science to medical physics department of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The authors would like to thank Reza Radiotherapy and Oncology Center (Mashhad, Iran) for their sincere cooperation. This work was fully funded by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Physics Research Center, Medical Physics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Mohammad Taghi Bahreyni Toossi, Leila Sobh Khiz Sabet, Shokouhozaman Soleymanifard & Maryam Bakhshizadeh

  2. Medical Physics Department, Reza Radiation Oncology Center, Mashhad, Iran

    Leila Sobh Khiz Sabet & Maryam Bakhshizadeh

  3. Cancer Research Center, Omid Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

    Shokouhozaman Soleymanifard & Kazem Anvari

Authors
  1. Mohammad Taghi Bahreyni Toossi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leila Sobh Khiz Sabet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shokouhozaman Soleymanifard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kazem Anvari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Maryam Bakhshizadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leila Sobh Khiz Sabet.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Toossi, M.T.B., Sabet, L.S.K., Soleymanifard, S. et al. A comparison of the doses received by normal cranial tissues during different simple model conventional radiotherapeutic approaches to pituitary tumours. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 39, 517–524 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-016-0451-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-016-0451-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation