Publications

Biomarc

Investigation of dose perturbations and the radiographic visibility of potential fiducials for proton radiation therapy of the prostate

“The best fiducial markers were radiographically visible in kV portal images, caused minimal streak artifacts in CT images, and caused minimal dose perturbations when placed in a proton beam (10%). Based on the results of our experiments, three of the prototype fiducials (the small C-coated ZrO2 sphere, the thin C-coated ZrO2 rod and the C-coated ZrO2 3 bump rod) met all of these criteria and were deemed excellent candidates for application in proton therapy of the prostate.”

Dosimetric impact of fiducial markers in patients undergoing photon beam radiation therapy

“Carbon fiducials caused small dose perturbations of only 1%.”

Dose perturbations and image artifacts caused by carbon-coated ceramic and stainless steel fiducials used in proton therapy for prostate cancer

“[W]e conclude that carbon-coated ZrO2 . . . are appropriate for use in proton therapy for prostate cancer if certain conditions are met. These fiducials have certain advantages over gold fiducials traditionally used for localization in radiation therapy that may be of relevance in proton therapy.”

Carbon fiducial image guidance increases the accuracy of lumpectomy cavity localization in radiation therapy for breast cancer

“This work demonstrates the feasibility of using carbon fiducials as a surrogate to increase localization accuracy to the lumpectomy cavity for PBI. The results from this study show that for localization with orthogonal kV OBI matching to fiducials, PTV margins for PBI as well asWBI boost can be reduced to approximately 4 mm. Fiducial migration and COM analysis also demonstrate that carbon fiducials can accurately represent the location of the lumpectomy cavity throughout the course of treatment.”

Carbon fiducials for large choroidal melanoma treated with gamma knife radiosurgery

“In summary, we present two patients with large UMs who were managed with GKR after fiducial placement. This approach may be beneficial for patients whose tumours are difficult to visualize on MRI.”

Evaluation of the Visibility and Artifacts of 11 Common Fiducial Markers for Image Guided Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in the Abdomen

“The least severe artifacts were observed, as expected, for the carbon fiducial.”

“Carbon fiducials presented an alternative option to gold and platinum fiducials, yielding minimal artifacts and moderate contrast. An additional benefit of carbon is the reduced dosimetric uncertainty relative to gold or platinum, providing for the preferred fiducial material for proton therapy.”