Work

Dosimetric impact of deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) technique in right-sided breast cancer radiotherapy: a retrospective analysis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background and Purpose: While deep-inspiration breath hold (DIBH) is widely used to reduce cardiac dose in left-sided breast cancer radiotherapy, its dosimetric benefits for right-sided cases remain underexplored. This study evaluated DIBH's impact on target coverage and organs at risk (OARs) in right-sided breast cancer, and investigated associations between dose-volume changes, lung volume, and anthropometric indices. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 33 patients with right-sided breast cancer treated using DIBH. Seventeen patients received whole-breast (WB) irradiation following post-breast-conserving surgery, and sixteen received chest wall (CW) plus internal mammary node (IMN) and supraclavicular (SC) irradiation post-mastectomy. Computed tomography (CT) scans acquired under free breathing (FB) and DIBH were used to generate separate treatment plans. Dose-volume parameters for target volumes and OARs were compared, and correlations between FB-to-DIBH changes and body mass index (BMI) and body surface area (BSA) were analyzed. Results: > 0.05). Conclusion: DIBH effectively reduced OAR doses in right-sided breast cancer radiotherapy while maintaining target coverage. Patients with higher BMI derived greater hepatic dose sparing, suggesting that BMI-informed patient selection may enhance the clinical utility of DIBH.

Source: PeerJ

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.20993

Authors: Lu Jiang, Zhiwei Su, Zhao Jing, Chuan Sun, Zhibing Wu

Institutions: Zhejiang Hospital, Zhejiang University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Radiotherapy Techniques

Subfield: Radiation

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,395