First Results Comparing MLC Versus IRIS CyberKnife Collimators in Prostate Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in an Italian Oncology Institute
Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignancies in men and remains a major cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Radiotherapy is a well-established treatment modality for PCa, offering clinical outcomes comparable to surgical approaches. In recent years, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), characterized by the delivery of high radiation doses in a limited number of fractions, has been increasingly adopted as a standard approach in the treatment of prostate cancer, due to its favorable efficacy and toxicity profile. CyberKnife (CK) is one of the most commonly used hypofractionated radiotherapy techniques. This preliminary study aimed to evaluate and compare the radiation dose delivery and treatment time of CK-based SBRT using two different collimation systems: the multileaf collimator (MLC) and the IRIS variable aperture collimator, a dynamic device that adjusts its opening to simulate different circular field sizes. A total of 19 patients with low-to-intermediate-risk PCa were selected and treated at the Radiation Oncology Department of the National Cancer Institute IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale in Naples between January 2024 and January 2025. For each patient, two treatment plans were generated—one with the IRIS collimator and one with the MLC. The results demonstrated that the use of the MLC significantly reduced treatment time while maintaining dosimetric quality comparable to IRIS-based plans. These findings support the clinical benefit of MLC implementation in prostate SBRT with the CK system.
Authors
- Maria Quarto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0119-2393)
- Cecilia Arrichiello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8756-5498)
- Esmeralda Scipilliti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3896-0392)
- Francesca Buonanno (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-1694-5857)
- Gianluca Ametrano
- Valentina d'Alesio
- Rosario Megna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5716-2137)
- Vincenzo Ravo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1414-7110)
- Valentina Borzillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6917-1735)
- Simona Mercogliano
- Rocco Mottareale
- Gaetano Gagliardo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3162-4240)
- Marcello Serra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7442-7793)
- Rossella Di Franco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6918-2178)
- Mariagabriella Pugliese
- Paolo Muto
Institutions
- Fondazione Bruno Kessler (IT)
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS "Fondazione G. Pascale" (IT)
- National Research Council (IT)
- University of Naples Federico II (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Bioengineering
- Published
- 2026-05-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13060596
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Radiotherapy Techniques
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00