A Study of Changes in Hepatic Function During Radiation Therapy Using Hepatobiliary Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPECT)

Overview

Radiation-induced liver disease (RILD) is a syndrome characterized by the development of anicteric ascites approximately 2 weeks to 4 months after hepatic irradiation. Previous studies have shown that both the volume of liver irradiated and the dose of radiation delivered are prominent factors for development of RILD. While use of a population-based normal tissue complication probability model allows investigators to limit the risk of RILD to a clinically acceptable level, a test that permits investigators to determine an individual's risk of RILD during the course of treatment may allow for individualized treatment modifications, either to prevent toxicity or increase efficacy.

Early, but subclinical physiologic changes in the liver may be associated with the future development of RILD. There are currently limited data on how a local change in hepatic function associates with regional radiation dose, and how the change of hepatic function during and after radiation therapy (RT) associates with RILD. In the present study, a radiological methodology that is minimally invasive will be used to measure volumetric hepatic functions in patients with intrahepatic malignancies before, during, and after a course of fractioned radiation therapy.

Conditions

Interventions