SU-D-202-03: Statistical Segmentation On Quantitative CT for Assessing Spatial Tumor Response During Radiation Therapy Delivery

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

1 p.

Publication Date

6-2016

Publisher

American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Source Publication

Medical Physics

Source ISSN

0094-2405

Abstract

Purpose:

Develop a method to segment regions of interest (ROIs) in tumor with statistically similar Hounsfield unit (HU) values and/or HU changes during chemoradiation therapy (CRT) delivery, to assess spatial tumor treatment response based on daily CTs during CRT delivery.

Methods:

Generate a three region map of ROIs with differential HUs, by sampling neighboring voxels around a selected voxel and comparing to the mean of the entire ROI using a t-test. The cumulative distribution function, P, is calculated from the t-test. The P value is assigned to be the value at the selected voxel, and this is repeated over all voxels in the initial ROI. Three regions are defined as: (1-P) < 0.00001 (mid region), and 0.00001 < (1-P) (mean greater than baseline and mean lower than baseline). The test is then expanded to compare daily CT sets acquired during routine CT-guided RT delivery using a CT-on-rails. The first fraction CT is used as the baseline for comparison. We tested 15 pancreatic head tumor cases undergoing CRT, to identify the ROIs and changes corresponding to normal, fibrotic, and tumor tissue. The obtained ROIs were compared with MRI-ADC maps acquired pre- and post-CRT.

Results:

The ROIs in 13 out of 15 patients’ first fraction CTs and pre-CRT MRIs matched the general region and slices covered, as well as in 6 out of the 9 patients with post-CRT MRIs. The high HU region designated by the t-test was seen to correlate with the tumor region in MR, and these ROIs are positioned within the same region over the course of treatment. In patients with poorly delineated tumors in MR, the t-test was inconclusive.

Conclusion:

The proposed statistical segmentation technique shows the potential to identify regions in tumor with differential HUs and HU changes during CRT delivery for patients with pancreas head cancer.

Comments

Medical Physics, Vol. 43, No. 6 (June 2016): 3341. DOI.

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