Verification of field match lines in whole breast radiation therapy using Cherenkov imaging.

• The value of Cherenkov imaging at the field junction was completed to assess the accuracy of identifying potential incidents with this new imaging technology. • The analysis technique invented here, provides a method for automated detection and quantification of match regions. • The region of field match could be isolated using automated techniques. • The average distance offset from Pt 1 showed a 25.0% increase in dose at the match line, and for Pt 2, a 23.6% decrease in dose. In mono-isocentric radiation therapy treatment plans designed to treat the whole breast and supraclavicular lymph nodes, the fields meet at isocenter, forming the match line. Insufficient coverage at the match line can lead to recurrence, and overlap over weeks of treatment can lead to increased risk of healthy tissue toxicity. Cherenkov imaging was used to assess the accuracy of delivery at the match line and identify potential incidents during patient treatments. A controlled calibration was constructed from the deconvolved Cherenkov images from the delivery of a modified patient treatment plan to an anthropomorphic phantom with introduced separation and overlap. The trend from this calibration was then used to evaluate the field match line for accuracy and inter-fraction consistency for two patients. The intersection point between matching field profiles was directly correlated to the distance (gap/overlap) between the fields (anthropomorphic phantom R 2 = 0.994 "breath hold" and R 2 = 0.990 "free breathing"). The profile intersection points from two patients' imaging sessions yielded an average of +1.40 mm offset (overlap) and −1.32 mm offset (gap), thereby introducing roughly a 25.0% over-dose and a −23.6% under-dose (R 2 = 0.994). This study shows that field match regions can be detected and quantified by taking deconvolved Cherenkov images and using their product image to create steep intensity gradients, causing match lines to stand out. These regions can then be quantitatively translated into a dose consequence. This approach offers a high sensitivity detection method which can quantify match line variability and errors in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]