Computational simulator that calculates tumor control probability in a tumor heterogeneously irradiated for fractionated radiation oncology treatments

Abstract

Although in the ionizing radiation field many concepts and processes are currently recognized as radiobiological, there are also probabilistic ones, and a probabilistic treatment makes a better understanding about them. The purpose of this study is to develop a new radiobiological simulator that calculates the tumor control probability (TCP) for a tumor heterogeneously irradiated from a fractioned treatment. The three possible types of cells and the results of interactions of ionizing radiation with each cell of a determined volume are analyzed. For an irradiated region with a dose per fraction d, the simulator determines the radiation biological effects using the cell kill (K) and cell sub-lethal damage, volume, cell density, cell repair of damaged cells during the interfractions, and number of fractions. K is determined from its probabilistic complement, the cell survival (S), described with the linear-quadratic (LQ) S(d) model as K = 1 −LQ S(d). TCP is calculated from computational simulations as in the ratio of simulations with K = 100% and their total. This application opens new avenues for theoretical and experimental investigations concerning simulations of radiation treatments, and methodologies for therapy optimizations. Our simulator represents a novel methodology as TCP is calculated without analytical formulas, but based on its own probabilistic definition.