Effect of continuous positive airway pressure administration during lung stereotactic ablative radiotherapy: a comparative planning study

Abstract

Purpose: By increasing lung volume and decreasing respiration-induced tumour motion amplitude, administration of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) could allow for better sparing of the lungs and heart. In this study, we evaluated the effect of CPAP on lung volume, tumour motion amplitude and baseline shift, as well as the dosimetric impact of the strategy.

Methods: Twenty patients with lung tumours referred for SABR underwent 4D-computed tomography (CT) scans with and without CPAP (CPAP/noCPAP) at two timepoints (T0/T1). First, CPAP and noCPAP scans were compared for lung volume, tumour motion amplitude, and baseline shift. Next, CPAP and noCPAP treatment plans were computed and compared for lung dose parameters (mean lung dose (MLD), lung volume receiving 20 Gy (V_20Gy), 13 Gy (V_13Gy), and 5 Gy (V_5Gy)) and mean heart dose (MHD).

Results: On average, CPAP increased lung volume by 8.0% (p < 0.001) and 6.3% (p < 0.001) at T0 and T1, respectively, but did not change tumour motion amplitude or baseline shift. As a result, CPAP administration led to an absolute decrease in MLD, lung V_20Gy, V_13Gy and V_5Gy of 0.1 Gy (p = 0.1), 0.4% (p = 0.03), 0.5% (p = 0.04) and 0.5% (p = 0.2), respectively, while having no significant influence on MHD.

Conclusions: In patients referred for SABR for lung tumours, CPAP increased lung volume without modifying tumour motion or baseline shift. As a result, CPAP allowed for a slight decrease in radiation dose to the lungs, which is unlikely to be clinically significant.

Keywords: Continuous positive airway pressure; Lung tumour; Radiation therapy.