Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2017, 161(4):397-402 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2017.031

Left hippocampus sparing whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT): A planning study

Tomas Kazdaa,b, Miroslav Vrzala,b, Tomas Prochazkaa,b, Petr Dvoraceka,b, Petr Burkona,b, Petr Pospisila,b, Adam Dziackyc, Tomas Nikla,b, Radim Jancalekd,e, Pavel Slampaa,b,h, Radek Lakomyf,g
a Department of Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
b Department of Radiation Oncology, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Zluty kopec 7, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic
c Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
d Department of Neurosurgery, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
e Department of Neurosurgery, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
f Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
g Department of Comprehensive Cancer Care, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Zluty kopec 7, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic
h Regional Center for Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Zluty kopec 7, 656 53 Brno, Czech Republic

Aims: Unilateral sparing of the dominant (left) hippocampus during whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) could mitigate cognitive decline, especially verbal memory, similar to the widely investigated bilateral hippocampus avoidance (HA-WBRT). The aim of this planning study is dosimetrical comparison of HA-WBRT with only left hippocampus sparing (LHA-WBRT) plans.

Methods: HA-WBRT plans for 10 patients were prepared in accordance with RTOG 0933 trial and served as baseline for comparisons with several LHA-WBRT plans prepared with an effort: 1) to maintain the same left hippocampus dosimetry ("BEST PTV") and 2) to maintain same dosimetry in planning target volume as in HA-WBRT ("BEST LH").

Results: All HA-WBRT plans met RTOG 0933 protocol criteria with a mean Conformity index 1.09 and mean Homogeneity index (HI) 0.21. Mean right and left hippocampal D100% was 7.8 Gy and 8.5 Gy and mean Dmax 14.0 Gy and 13.8 Gy, respectively. "BEST PTV" plans reduced HI by 31.2% (P=0.005) which is mirrored by lower PTV_D2% (-0.8 Gy, P=0.005) and higher PTV_D98% (+1.3 Gy, P=0.005) as well as decreased optic pathway's Dmax by 1 Gy. In "BEST LH", mean D100% and Dmax for the left hippocampus were significantly reduced by 11.2% (P=0.005) and 10.9% (P=0.005) respectively.

Conclusions: LHA-WBRT could improve target coverage and/or further decrease in dose to spared hippocampus. Future clinical trials must confirm whether statistically significant reduction in left hippocampal dose is also clinically significant.

Keywords: brain metastases, hippocampus, memory, cognition, HA WBRT

Received: May 12, 2017; Accepted: June 20, 2017; Prepublished online: July 20, 2017; Published: December 24, 2017  Show citation

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Kazda, T., Vrzal, M., Prochazka, T., Dvoracek, P., Burkon, P., Pospisil, P., ... Lakomy, R. (2017). Left hippocampus sparing whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT): A planning study. Biomedical papers, 161(4), 397-402. doi: 10.5507/bp.2017.031
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