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@ARTICLE{SevillaMoreno:298940,
author = {A. C. Sevilla-Moreno and M. E. Puerta-Yepes and N. Wahl$^*$
and R. Benito-Herce and G. Cabal-Arango},
title = {{I}nterval {A}nalysis-{B}ased {O}ptimization: {A} {R}obust
{M}odel for {I}ntensity-{M}odulated {R}adiotherapy
({IMRT}).},
journal = {Cancers},
volume = {17},
number = {3},
issn = {2072-6694},
address = {Basel},
publisher = {MDPI},
reportid = {DKFZ-2025-00374},
pages = {504},
year = {2025},
note = {Division of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology,},
abstract = {Background: Cancer remains one of the leading causes of
mortality worldwide, with radiotherapy playing a crucial
role in its treatment. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy
(IMRT) enables precise dose delivery to tumors while sparing
healthy tissues. However, geometric uncertainties such as
patient positioning errors and anatomical deformations can
compromise treatment accuracy. Traditional methods use
safety margins, which may lead to excessive irradiation of
healthy organs or insufficient tumor coverage. Robust
optimization techniques, such as minimax approaches, attempt
to address these uncertainties but can result in overly
conservative treatment plans. This study introduces an
interval analysis-based optimization model for IMRT,
offering a more flexible approach to uncertainty management.
Methods: The proposed model represents geometric
uncertainties using interval dose influence matrices and
incorporates Bertoluzza's metric to balance tumor coverage
and organ-at-risk (OAR) protection. The θ parameter allows
controlled robustness modulation. The model was implemented
in matRad, an open-source treatment planning system, and
evaluated on five prostate cancer cases. Results were
compared against traditional Planning Target Volume (PTV)
and minimax robust optimization approaches. Results: The
interval-based model improved tumor coverage by $5.8\%$
while reducing bladder dose by $4.2\%$ compared to PTV. In
contrast, minimax robust optimization improved tumor
coverage by $25.8\%$ but increased bladder dose by $23.2\%.$
The interval-based approach provided a better balance
between tumor coverage and OAR protection, demonstrating its
potential to enhance treatment effectiveness without
excessive conservatism. Conclusions: This study presents a
novel framework for IMRT planning that improves uncertainty
management through interval analysis. By allowing adjustable
robustness modulation, the proposed model enables more
personalized and clinically adaptable treatment plans. These
findings highlight the potential of interval analysis as a
powerful tool for optimizing radiotherapy outcomes,
balancing treatment efficacy and patient safety.},
keywords = {IMRT (Other) / interval analysis (Other) / radiotherapy
(Other) / robust optimization (Other) / uncertainty (Other)},
cin = {E041},
ddc = {610},
cid = {I:(DE-He78)E041-20160331},
pnm = {315 - Bildgebung und Radioonkologie (POF4-315)},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-315},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
pubmed = {pmid:39941871},
pmc = {pmc:PMC11816179},
doi = {10.3390/cancers17030504},
url = {https://inrepo02.dkfz.de/record/298940},
}