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The use of breath-hold techniques in radiotherapy, such as deep-inspiration breath hold, is increasing although guidelines for clinical implementation are lacking. In these recommendations, we aim to provide an overview of available technical solutions and guidance for best practice in the implementation phase. We will discuss specific challenges in different tumour sites including factors such as staff training and patient coaching, accuracy, and reproducibility. In addition, we aim to highlight the need for further research in specific patient groups. This report also reviews considerations for equipment, staff training and patient coaching, as well as image guidance for breath-hold treatments. Dedicated sections for specific indications, namely breast cancer, thoracic and abdominal tumours are also included.

The use of breath-hold techniques in radiotherapy, such as deep-inspiration breath hold, is increasing although guidelines for clinical implementation are lacking. In these recommendations, we aim to provide an overview of available technical solutions and guidance for best practice in the implementation phase. We will discuss specific challenges in different tumour sites including factors such as staff training and patient coaching, accuracy, and reproducibility. In addition, we aim to highlight the need for further research in specific patient groups. This report also reviews considerations for equipment, staff training and patient coaching, as well as image guidance for breath-hold treatments. Dedicated sections for specific indications, namely breast cancer, thoracic and abdominal tumours are also included.

The clinical use of surface imaging has increased dramatically, with demonstrated utility for initial patient positioning, real-time motion monitoring, and beam gating in a variety of anatomical sites. The Therapy Physics Subcommittee and the Imaging for Treatment Verification Working Group of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine commissioned Task Group 302 to review the current clinical uses of surface imaging and emerging clinical applications. The specific charge of this task group was to provide technical guidelines for clinical indications of use for general positioning, breast deep-inspiration breath hold treatment, and frameless stereotactic radiosurgery. Additionally, the task group was charged with providing commissioning and on-going quality assurance (QA) requirements for surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT) as part of a comprehensive QA program including risk assessment. Workflow considerations for other anatomic sites and for computed tomography simulation, including motion management, are also discussed. Finally, developing clinical applications, such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or proton radiotherapy, are presented. The recommendations made in this report, which are summarized at the end of the report, are applicable to all video-based SGRT systems available at the time of writing.

Introduction: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) has been proven to reduce cardiac dose for women receiving left breast and chest wall radiation therapy. However, it utilises extra departmental resources and patient exertion. The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate if any factors existed that could identify breast cancer patients who may benefit most from DIBH, to facilitate appropriate utilisation of departmental resources. Methods: Left-sided breast cancer patients aged 18–70 years, and right-sided breast cancer patients with internal mammary nodes included, were recruited. DIBH and free breathing (FB) plans were created for all patients. Patient demographic and clinical history were recorded. Variables including lung threshold value, lung volume, patient separation, maximum heart in field, volume of planning target volume (PTV), heart dose, ipsilateral lung dose were compared between plans. Results: Plans for 31 patients were analysed. No correlations were found between lung threshold value or patient separation and cardiac dose. Moderate to strong correlations were found with BMI, PTV volume and lung volume change however no definitive thresholds were determined. A significant difference was found in the maximum heart in field between DIBH and FB (P < 0.001) with those patients with greater than 0.7 cm heart in the field on the FB scan demonstrating greater reductions in mean heart dose. Conclusion: Maximum heart in the field of greater than 0.7 cm in FB could be a potential factor to identify patients who may benefit most from DIBH. This factor warrants investigation in a larger patient cohort to test its validity.

Background: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer patientscan effectively move the heart away from the target and reduce the heart dose compared to treatmentsin free breathing. This study aims to investigate the positional reproducibility of heart edge(HE) and thoracic wall (TW) during repeated DIBHs. Material and methods: At three occasions, 11 left-sided breast cancer patients were CT imaged during6 minutes of repeated DIBHs with 60 cine CT series. The series were evenly distributed over threebed positions and for each bed position, the heart edge associated maximum heart distance (MHD)and thoracic wall-associated maximum lung distance (MLD) from a reference line were retrospectivelyanalyzed. The high temporal resolution of the CT series enabled intrinsic heart movements to beresolved from breath hold variations. A body surface laser scanning system continuously extracted thethorax height and displayed it in a pair of goggles for patient feedback. To check for ‘fake-breathing’movements, e.g. that the patient lifts its back from the couch to reach DIBH, the couch-to-spine distancewas also measured in all CT series. Results: The analysis was done for 1432 cine CTs captured during 292 breath holds. The DIBH movedthe heart on average 15mm in medial direction compared with free breathing. For the three bed positionsstudied, the mean value of the max range, across all patients, was between 11–13mm for theMHD and 4–8mm for the MLD. The MHD variation due to breath hold variation was twice as large asthe MHD variation due to intrinsic heart movement. The couch-to-spine distance varied less than3mm for all fractions, i.e., no fake-breathing was discovered. Conclusions: The heart edge and thoracic wall reproducibility was high in relation to the medial heartdisplacement induced by the DIBH.

Background: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer patientscan effectively move the heart away from the target and reduce the heart dose compared to treatmentsin free breathing. This study aims to investigate the positional reproducibility of heart edge(HE) and thoracic wall (TW) during repeated DIBHs. Material and methods: At three occasions, 11 left-sided breast cancer patients were CT imaged during6 minutes of repeated DIBHs with 60 cine CT series. The series were evenly distributed over threebed positions and for each bed position, the heart edge associated maximum heart distance (MHD)and thoracic wall-associated maximum lung distance (MLD) from a reference line were retrospectivelyanalyzed. The high temporal resolution of the CT series enabled intrinsic heart movements to beresolved from breath hold variations. A body surface laser scanning system continuously extracted thethorax height and displayed it in a pair of goggles for patient feedback. To check for ‘fake-breathing’movements, e.g. that the patient lifts its back from the couch to reach DIBH, the couch-to-spine distancewas also measured in all CT series. Results: The analysis was done for 1432 cine CTs captured during 292 breath holds. The DIBH movedthe heart on average 15mm in medial direction compared with free breathing. For the three bed positionsstudied, the mean value of the max range, across all patients, was between 11–13mm for theMHD and 4–8mm for the MLD. The MHD variation due to breath hold variation was twice as large asthe MHD variation due to intrinsic heart movement. The couch-to-spine distance varied less than3mm for all fractions, i.e., no fake-breathing was discovered. Conclusions: The heart edge and thoracic wall reproducibility was high in relation to the medial heartdisplacement induced by the DIBH.

Background: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer patientscan effectively move the heart away from the target and reduce the heart dose compared to treatmentsin free breathing. This study aims to investigate the positional reproducibility of heart edge(HE) and thoracic wall (TW) during repeated DIBHs. Material and methods: At three occasions, 11 left-sided breast cancer patients were CT imaged during6 minutes of repeated DIBHs with 60 cine CT series. The series were evenly distributed over threebed positions and for each bed position, the heart edge associated maximum heart distance (MHD)and thoracic wall-associated maximum lung distance (MLD) from a reference line were retrospectivelyanalyzed. The high temporal resolution of the CT series enabled intrinsic heart movements to beresolved from breath hold variations. A body surface laser scanning system continuously extracted thethorax height and displayed it in a pair of goggles for patient feedback. To check for ‘fake-breathing’movements, e.g. that the patient lifts its back from the couch to reach DIBH, the couch-to-spine distancewas also measured in all CT series. Results: The analysis was done for 1432 cine CTs captured during 292 breath holds. The DIBH movedthe heart on average 15mm in medial direction compared with free breathing. For the three bed positionsstudied, the mean value of the max range, across all patients, was between 11–13mm for theMHD and 4–8mm for the MLD. The MHD variation due to breath hold variation was twice as large asthe MHD variation due to intrinsic heart movement. The couch-to-spine distance varied less than3mm for all fractions, i.e., no fake-breathing was discovered. Conclusions: The heart edge and thoracic wall reproducibility was high in relation to the medial heartdisplacement induced by the DIBH.

Introduction Evidence that Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) can reduce cardiac dose during left‐sided breast radiation therapy (RT) has led to widespread uptake of this technology. There is a paucity of published information documenting the impact of this technique on the patient's treatment experience. The aim of this study was to develop a tool to assess the patient's experience with the introduction of DIBH using the Elekta® Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC) in a single institution. Methods A patient experience questionnaire was developed and was completed at three different stages of the patient's treatment; at planning, during the second week of treatment (day 6–10) and during the final week of treatment. Results Questionnaire data were collected from 30 patients, who underwent DIBH breast treatment during the period March 2016 to May 2017. Patients were very happy with their use of the ABC equipment and most felt they were well supported and informed during their treatment. Levels of general fatigue and personal anxiety were identified to significantly increase from planning to the conclusion of treatment (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001 respectively). Conclusions This study produced a useful tool to measure patient experience during DIBH treatment. It demonstrated that the use of the technique was acceptable to patients and did not increase their distress. It provided a compelling case for the provision of tailored, well‐communicated information, consistent routine and emotional support for patients throughout their entire treatment. The tool could be employed to assess the patient experience as new technologies are introduced into RT.

Background: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer patientscan effectively move the heart away from the target and reduce the heart dose compared to treatmentsin free breathing. This study aims to investigate the positional reproducibility of heart edge(HE) and thoracic wall (TW) during repeated DIBHs. Material and methods: At three occasions, 11 left-sided breast cancer patients were CT imaged during6 minutes of repeated DIBHs with 60 cine CT series. The series were evenly distributed over threebed positions and for each bed position, the heart edge associated maximum heart distance (MHD)and thoracic wall-associated maximum lung distance (MLD) from a reference line were retrospectivelyanalyzed. The high temporal resolution of the CT series enabled intrinsic heart movements to beresolved from breath hold variations. A body surface laser scanning system continuously extracted thethorax height and displayed it in a pair of goggles for patient feedback. To check for ‘fake-breathing’movements, e.g. that the patient lifts its back from the couch to reach DIBH, the couch-to-spine distancewas also measured in all CT series. Results: The analysis was done for 1432 cine CTs captured during 292 breath holds. The DIBH movedthe heart on average 15mm in medial direction compared with free breathing. For the three bed positionsstudied, the mean value of the max range, across all patients, was between 11–13mm for theMHD and 4–8mm for the MLD. The MHD variation due to breath hold variation was twice as large asthe MHD variation due to intrinsic heart movement. The couch-to-spine distance varied less than3mm for all fractions, i.e., no fake-breathing was discovered. Conclusions: The heart edge and thoracic wall reproducibility was high in relation to the medial heartdisplacement induced by the DIBH.

Background: Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer patientscan effectively move the heart away from the target and reduce the heart dose compared to treatmentsin free breathing. This study aims to investigate the positional reproducibility of heart edge(HE) and thoracic wall (TW) during repeated DIBHs. Material and methods: At three occasions, 11 left-sided breast cancer patients were CT imaged during6 minutes of repeated DIBHs with 60 cine CT series. The series were evenly distributed over threebed positions and for each bed position, the heart edge associated maximum heart distance (MHD)and thoracic wall-associated maximum lung distance (MLD) from a reference line were retrospectivelyanalyzed. The high temporal resolution of the CT series enabled intrinsic heart movements to beresolved from breath hold variations. A body surface laser scanning system continuously extracted thethorax height and displayed it in a pair of goggles for patient feedback. To check for ‘fake-breathing’movements, e.g. that the patient lifts its back from the couch to reach DIBH, the couch-to-spine distancewas also measured in all CT series. Results: The analysis was done for 1432 cine CTs captured during 292 breath holds. The DIBH movedthe heart on average 15mm in medial direction compared with free breathing. For the three bed positionsstudied, the mean value of the max range, across all patients, was between 11–13mm for theMHD and 4–8mm for the MLD. The MHD variation due to breath hold variation was twice as large asthe MHD variation due to intrinsic heart movement. The couch-to-spine distance varied less than3mm for all fractions, i.e., no fake-breathing was discovered. Conclusions: The heart edge and thoracic wall reproducibility was high in relation to the medial heartdisplacement induced by the DIBH.