  This study estimated the planning quality of intensity-modulated radiotherapy
in 42 lung cancer cases to provide preliminary data for the development of a
planning quality assurance algorithm. Organs in or near the thoracic cavity
(ipsilateral lung, contralateral lung, heart, liver, esophagus, spinal cord,
and bronchus) were selected as organs at risk (OARs). Radiotherapy plans were
compared using the conformity index (CI), coverage index (CVI), and homogeneity
index (HI) of the planning target volume (PTV), OAR-PTV distance and OAR-PTV
overlap volume, and the V10Gy, V20Gy, and equivalent uniform dose (EUD) of the
OARs. The CI, CVI, and HI of the PTV were 0.54 - 0.89 , 0.90 - 1.00 , and 0.11
- 0.41, respectively. The mean EUDs (V10Gy, V20Gy) of the ipsilateral lung,
contralateral lung, esophagus, cord, liver, heart, and bronchus were 8.07 Gy
(28.06, 13.17), 2.59 Gy (6.53, 1.18), 7.02 Gy (26.17, 12.32), 3.56 Gy (13.56,
4.48), 0.72 Gy (2.15, 0.91), 5.14 Gy (19.68, 8.62), and 10.56 Gy (36.08,
19.79), respectively. EUDs tended to decrease as OAR-PTV distance increased and
OAR-PTV overlap volume decreased. Because the plans in this study were from a
single department, relatively few people were involved in treatment planning.
Differences in treatment results for a given patient would be much more
pronounced if many departments were involved.
