Clinical to target volume margins determination in radiotherapy for anal cancers

There are very few data on the expansion from the clinical target volume (CTV) to the planning target volume (PTV) in the anal cancer treatment. This article aims to collect the different elements needed for the construction of a PTV from scientific data based on a literature analysis. We reviewed the articles published in the medical literature from the last 20 years. They concerned setup errors and internal organ mobility of the different volumes of patients treated by conformational radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiotherapy (anal canal, meso-rectum, common, intern and extern, inguinal and pre-sacral lymph nodes). CTV to PTV margins admitted in the guidelines and atlas of consensus groups (SFRO, RTOG, AGITG) are from 0.7 to 1 cm in all directions, based on expert's opinions but not on scientific data. There are no specific studies on the canal anal mobility. Most of the data are from other pelvis cancers (gynecologic, rectum and prostate). Setup errors can be reduced by daily imaging. Patient repositioning and immobilization modalities are mostly local habits rather than scientific consensus. A three-dimensional 1 cm margin is generally admitted. Margins reduction must be careful and has to be assessed. (C) 2016 Societe francaise de radiotherapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.