Comparison of intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric-modulated arc therapy dose measurement for head and neck cancer using optical stimulated luminescence dosimeter

Lu Han Lai, Keh Shih Chuang, Hsin Hon Lin, Yi Chi Liu, Chiung Wen Kuo, Jao Perng Lin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The in-vivo dose distributions of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), a newly developed technique, for head and neck cancer have been investigated for several years. The present study used a head-and-neck RANDO phantom to simulate the clinical conditions of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and compare the radiation doses between VMAT and IMRT. Three types of planning target volume (PTV) profiles were targeted by reducing the PTV surface margin by 0, 3, and 5 mm. An optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter was used to measure the surface doses. The results revealed that VMAT provided on average 16.8–13.8% lower surface doses within the PTV target areas than IMRT. When the PTV margin was reduced by 0 mm, the surface doses for IMRT reached their maximum value, accounting for 75.1% of its prescribed dose (Dp); however, the Dp value of VMAT was only 61.1%. When the PTV margin was reduced by 3 or 5 mm, the surface doses decreased considerably. The observed surface doses were insufficient when the tumours invaded the body surface; however, VMAT exerted larger skin-sparing effects than IMRT when the tumours away from the skin. These results suggest that the skin doses for these two techniques are insufficient for surface tumours. Notably, VMAT can provide lower skin doses for deep tumours.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)266-270
Number of pages5
JournalRadiation Physics and Chemistry
Volume140
DOIs
StatePublished - 11 2017
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

  • Dosimetry
  • Intensity-modulated radiotherapy
  • Optically stimulated luminescence
  • Volumetric-modulated arc therapy

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