Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy
Background: Brachial plexopathy in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy is an important side effect. The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of two different treatment methods, the wedge method and field-in-field methods, in breast cancer patie...
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Tehran University of Medical Sciences
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Biomedical Technologies |
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| Online Access: | https://fbt.tums.ac.ir/index.php/fbt/article/view/802 |
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| author | Simin Soltani Nejad Maryam Bahador Samira Yazdani Mahnaz Kiani |
| author_facet | Simin Soltani Nejad Maryam Bahador Samira Yazdani Mahnaz Kiani |
| author_sort | Simin Soltani Nejad |
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Background: Brachial plexopathy in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy is an important side effect. The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of two different treatment methods, the wedge method and field-in-field methods, in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Specifically, the study aimed to evaluate the impact of these methods on the radiation dose received by the brachial plexus, a critical organ at risk in breast cancer treatment.
Methods: The study involved 100 breast cancer patients who underwent a series of 25 radiation therapy sessions. The total radiation dose administered throughout the therapy was 50 Gy, with each treatment session delivering 2 Gy. The study focused on measuring the radiation dose received by the brachial plexus. Two different methods, the wedge method, and the field-in-field process, were compared in terms of their ability to protect the brachial plexus from excessive radiation.
Results: The maximum dose delivered to the brachial plexus was 5302.18 cGy in the wedge group, and 5242.5 cGy in the field-in-field group. Although the field-in-field method appeared to be less risky, statistically there was no significant difference between the two methods (P > 0.05). Additionally, the mean dose delivered using the wedge method was 4169.98 cGy, while the field-in-field method had a mean dose of 4351.9 cGy and their difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: The optimization of the treatment process is a crucial part of alleviating brachial plexopathy in breast cancer radiation therapy, and these dose measurements play a fundamental role in enhancing treatment protocols and improving patient comfort at the same time. It must be noted that even though the field-in-field technique decreased radiation exposure to the brachial plexus more than the wedge technique, further studies are still needed to determine the practical significance of these findings.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2ec807f67088432fab52dcbc1053db30 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2345-5837 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Tehran University of Medical Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Biomedical Technologies |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ec807f67088432fab52dcbc1053db302025-08-20T02:28:42ZengTehran University of Medical SciencesFrontiers in Biomedical Technologies2345-58372025-03-0112210.18502/fbt.v12i2.18289Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing RadiotherapySimin Soltani Nejad0Maryam Bahador1Samira Yazdani2Mahnaz Kiani3Department of Radiation Oncology, Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranDepartment of medical physics, Afzalipour Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, IranResearch Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Background: Brachial plexopathy in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy is an important side effect. The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of two different treatment methods, the wedge method and field-in-field methods, in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Specifically, the study aimed to evaluate the impact of these methods on the radiation dose received by the brachial plexus, a critical organ at risk in breast cancer treatment. Methods: The study involved 100 breast cancer patients who underwent a series of 25 radiation therapy sessions. The total radiation dose administered throughout the therapy was 50 Gy, with each treatment session delivering 2 Gy. The study focused on measuring the radiation dose received by the brachial plexus. Two different methods, the wedge method, and the field-in-field process, were compared in terms of their ability to protect the brachial plexus from excessive radiation. Results: The maximum dose delivered to the brachial plexus was 5302.18 cGy in the wedge group, and 5242.5 cGy in the field-in-field group. Although the field-in-field method appeared to be less risky, statistically there was no significant difference between the two methods (P > 0.05). Additionally, the mean dose delivered using the wedge method was 4169.98 cGy, while the field-in-field method had a mean dose of 4351.9 cGy and their difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The optimization of the treatment process is a crucial part of alleviating brachial plexopathy in breast cancer radiation therapy, and these dose measurements play a fundamental role in enhancing treatment protocols and improving patient comfort at the same time. It must be noted that even though the field-in-field technique decreased radiation exposure to the brachial plexus more than the wedge technique, further studies are still needed to determine the practical significance of these findings. https://fbt.tums.ac.ir/index.php/fbt/article/view/802Breast CancerRadiation TherapyWedgeField-in-FieldBrachial Plexus |
| spellingShingle | Simin Soltani Nejad Maryam Bahador Samira Yazdani Mahnaz Kiani Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy Frontiers in Biomedical Technologies Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy Wedge Field-in-Field Brachial Plexus |
| title | Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy |
| title_full | Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy |
| title_short | Comparative Evaluation of Wedge and Field-in-Field Methods in Minimizing Brachial Plexus Radiation Dose in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy |
| title_sort | comparative evaluation of wedge and field in field methods in minimizing brachial plexus radiation dose in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy |
| topic | Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy Wedge Field-in-Field Brachial Plexus |
| url | https://fbt.tums.ac.ir/index.php/fbt/article/view/802 |
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