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. 2021 Jan-Dec:20:15330338211027909.
doi: 10.1177/15330338211027909.

Analysis of Geometric and Dosimetric Effects of Bra Application to Support Large or Pendulous Breasts During Radiotherapy Planning: A Retrospective Single-Center Study

So Hyun Park  1 , Jinhyun Choi  1
Affiliations

Analysis of Geometric and Dosimetric Effects of Bra Application to Support Large or Pendulous Breasts During Radiotherapy Planning: A Retrospective Single-Center Study

So Hyun Park et al. Technol Cancer Res Treat. 2021 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate geometric and dosimetric effects of bra application during radiotherapy planning for breast cancer patients with large and pendulous breasts.

Materials and methods: Twenty patients with chest sizes >38 inches between April 2019 and July 2019 underwent radiotherapy planning with and without a radiation bra (Chabner XRT®). Geometric and dosimetric parameters included the breast volume, superior-inferior (SI) distance, separation (S) as the distance of the longest diameter of the clinical target volume (CTV), conformity number (CN), and homogeneity index (HI) of CTV. The organs at risk (OARs) were defined as the lungs, heart, and liver.

Results: The use of the radiation bra provided mean changes of -0.51 cm for S, -1.45 cm for SI, and -61.18 cc for breast volume (all P < 0.05). Breast volume was correlated with bra-related changes in cross diameter (r = 0.641, P = 0.002) and volume (r = 0.680, P = 0.001). Significant dose reductions were observed for the lungs (mean V10: 19.58 cc, V20: 17.13 cc, Dmean: 86.24 cGy) and heart (Dmean: 170.23 cGy). No significant differences were observed for CN (0.62-0.67) and HI (0.19-0.20) of the CTV.

Conclusion: The application of a radiation bra was associated with better geometric and dosimetric planning parameters, with a smaller CTV and lower doses to the OARs (lungs and heart) in the radiotherapy field. In addition, we expect that bra use during radiotherapy would provide emotional benefits.

Keywords: bra; breast cancer; dosimetric effects; geometric parameters; pendulous breast.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
A, Patient simulated with a radiation bra. B, The geometrical definition of the breast. The separation (S) was defined as the longest diameter of the clinical target volume (CTV).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
The relationships between breast volume and cross diameter difference (A) and volume difference (B).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Dosimetric parameters of both groups with or without bra. All parameters were significantly different between groups. Data on box represents interquartile range (Q3-Q1). The upper and lower of bar means the maximum and minimum value of data.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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