Hybrid ultra-high and conventional dose rate treatments with electrons and photons for the clinical transfer of FLASH-RT to deep-seated targets: A treatment planning study.

Abstract

This study explores the dosimetric feasibility and plan quality of hybrid ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) electron and conventional dose rate (CDR) photon (HUC) radiotherapy for treating deep-seated tumours with FLASH-RT. HUC treatment planning was conducted optimizing a broad UHDR electron beam (between 20-250 MeV) combined with a CDR VMAT for a glioblastoma, a pancreatic cancer, and a prostate cancer case. HUC plans were based on clinical prescription and fractionation schemes and compared against clinically delivered plans. Considering a HUC boost treatment for the glioblastoma consisting of a 15-Gy-single-fraction UHDR electron boost supplemented with VMAT, two scenarios for FLASH sparing were assessed using FLASH-modifying-factor-weighted doses. For all three patient cases, HUC treatment plans demonstrated comparable dosimetric quality to clinical plans, with similar PTV coverage (V_95% within 0.5 %), homogeneity, and critical OAR-sparing. At the same time, HUC plans delivered a substantial portion of the dose to the PTV (D_median of 50-69 %) and surrounding tissues at UHDR. For the HUC boost treatment of the glioblastoma, the first FLASH sparing scenario showed a moderate FLASH sparing magnitude (10 % for D_2%,PTV) for the 15-Gy UHDR electron boost, while the second scenario indicated a more substantial sparing of brain tissues inside and outside the PTV (32 % for D_2%,PTV, 31 % for D_2%,Brain). From a planning perspective, HUC treatments represent a feasible approach for delivering dosimetrically conformal UHDR treatments, potentially mitigating technical challenges associated with delivering conformal FLASH-RT for deep-seated tumours. While further research is needed to optimize HUC fractionation and delivery schemes for specific patient cohorts, HUC treatments offer a promising avenue for the clinical transfer of FLASH-RT.