Table 1.
Fraction and course time, greenhouse gas, and CO2 emissions of the 4 most common cancers by modality from lowest to highest by course time
| Site | Modality | Number of fractions | Fraction time, min, average (range) | Whole course time, min (range) | kWh per course, average (range) | GHG-equivalent emissions, miles driven, average (range) | Carbon equivalents per course, CO2 kg, average (range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prostate | SBRT | 5 | 1.26 (0.46–2.47) | 6.29 (2.29–12.34) | 5.03 (1.83–9.88) | 5.4 (2–10.6) | 2.18 (0.79–4.27) |
| Lung | SBRT | 3 | 2.88 (1.91–4.21) | 8.65 (5.73–12.63) | 6.92 (4.58–10.1) | 7.4 (4.9–10.8) | 3.0 (1.98–4.50) |
| Lung | SBRT | 5 | 1.83 (1.22–2.79) | 9.15 (6.10–13.93) | 7.32 (4.88–11.15) | 7.9 (5.2–12) | 3.17 (2.11–4.82) |
| Breast | Hypofractionated | 5 | 2.11 (1.34–2.79) | 10.56 (6.68–13.95) | 8.45 (5.34–11.16) | 9.1 (5.7–12) | 3.65 (2.34–4.83) |
| Rectal | Short course | 5 | 2.52 (1.12–2.89) | 12.6 (5.61–14.47) | 10.08 (4.49–11.57) | 10.8 (4.8–12.4) | 4.36 (1.95–5.00) |
| Breast | Hypofractionated | 15 | 1.39 (0.70–2.39) | 20.79 (10.51–35.89) | 16.63 (8.41–22.56) | 17.9 (9–24.2) | 7.19 (3.63–12.42) |
| Rectal | Long course | 25-28 | 1.23 (0.46–2.18) | 32.7 (12.43–58.96) | 26.16 (9.94–47.17) | 28.1 (10.7–50.7) | 11.32 (4.29–20.41) |
| Lung | Conventional | 30 | 1.41 (0.42–2.83) | 42.18 (12.73–85.02) | 33.32 (10.18–63.77) | 35.8 (10.9–68.5) | 14.42 (4.41–27.63) |
| Prostate | Conventional | 28 | 1.88 (0.83–3.22) | 52.68 (23.25–114.24) | 38.34 (18.6–85.68) | 41.2 (20–92) | 17.34 (0.28–`36.4) |
Abbreviations: CO2 = carbon dioxide; SBRT = stereotactic body radiation therapy.