AbstractID: 9461 Title: Fully Automated Planning for 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy
We have developed a fully automated treatment planning tool for 3D conformal radiation
therapy that simultaneously optimizes the beam angles, wedge angles, wedge orientations, and
beam weights for each treatment plan. The user specifies the number of allowed beam angles,
the minimum and maximum dose for the target, and dose volume constraints for sensitive
structures. Binary variables are used to constrain the number of beams assigned nonzero values.
The optimization is performed using a mixed integer programming technique. This tool has been
applied for three treatment sites: breast, pancreas, and prostate. In each case, the optimizer was
required to choose from 36 initial candidate beams. The 3D dose distribution for each beam was
determined using a point kernel superposition based dose engine. The results demonstrate the
ability of the tool to match the quality of the treatment plan produced by an experienced
dosimetrist with an optimization time of less than 30 minutes.