Effect of volumetric modulated arc therapy on the protective effect and cognitive function of hippocampus in the whole-brain+simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy for patients with brain metastases
LU Feng
LI Lulu
ZHANG Fei
NIU Leilei
LI Taiping
Abstract：Objective To explore the effect of Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy(VMAT)on the protective effect and cognitive function of the hippocampus in the whole-brain+Simultaneous Integrated Boost radiotherapy for patients with brain metastases.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 76 brain metastase patients admitted to the Fuyang Cancer Hospital from March 2019 to December 2021.Based on the radiotherapy regimens,the patients were divided into a research group and a control group.The research group,40 patients,received whole-brain+simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy using VMAT.The control group,36 patients,received conventional whole-brain radiotherapy plus an intracranial lesions boost radiotherapy.A one-year follow-up was conducted to compare the hippocampal radiation dose,short-term efficacy,adverse reactions,cognitive function,and survival outcomes between the two groups.Results The maximum and average radiation doses in the hippocampus of the patients in the research group were lower than those in the control group(P＜0.05).The disease control rate(DCR)of the research group patients was 95.00%,which was higher than that of the control group(77.78%,P＜0.05).The incidence of neurological toxicity in the research group was lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).After 3 months of radiotherapy,the cognitive function score of the control group patients was lower than before radiotherapy(P＜0.05);The cognitive function score of the research group patients was higher than that of the control group(P＜0.05).The 1-year survival rate of the research group was higher than that of the control group(P＜0.05),and there was a statistically significant difference in the progression-free survival(PFS)curve between the two groups(P＜0.05).Conclusions The application of VMAT technology in the whole-brain+simultaneous integrated boost radiotherapy for patients with brain metastases helps reduce the dose in the hippocampus,reduce the risk of cognitive impairment,and extend the survival period of patients.
Keywords：Brain metastasesVolumetric modulated arc therapyWhole brain radiotherapySimultaneous integrated boost radiotherapyHippocampusCognitive function
Publication Date：2023-12-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 567-571 )