Tissue Inhomogeneity Correction in Clinical Application of Transmission Dosimetry to Head and Neck Cancer Radiation Treatment.
- Author:
Suzy KIM
1
;
Sung Whan HA
;
Hong Gyun WU
;
Soon Nyung HUH
Author Information
1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Korea. snhuh@daum.net
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
In vivo dosimetry;
Transmission dose;
Radiation therapy;
Head and neck cancer;
Brain tumor;
Tissue inhomogeneity
- MeSH:
Axis, Cervical Vertebra;
Brain;
Brain Neoplasms;
Head and Neck Neoplasms*;
Head*;
Humans;
Neck;
Radiotherapy
- From:The Journal of the Korean Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
2004;22(2):155-163
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To confirm the reproducibility of in vivo transmission dosimetry system and the accuracy of the algorithms for the estimation of transmission dose in head and neck radiation therapy patients. MATERIALS AND MEHTODS: From September 5 to 18, 2001, transmission dose measurements were performed when radiotherapy was given to brain or head and neck cancer patients. The data of 35 patients who were treated more than three times and whose central axis of the beam was not blocked were analyzed in this study. To confirm the reproducibility of this system, transmission dose was measured before daily treatment and then repetitively every hour during the treatment time, with a field size of 10x10 cm2 and a delivery of 100 MU. The accuracy of the transmission dose calculation algorithms was confirmed by comparing estimated dose with measured dose. To accurately estimate transmission dose, tissue inhomogeneity correction was done. RESULTS: The measurement variations during a day were within +/-0.5% and the daily variations in the checked period were within +/-1.0%, which were acceptable for system reproducibility. The mean errors between estimated and measured doses were within +/-5.0% in patients treated to the brain, +/-2.5% in head, and +/-5.0% in neck. CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed the reproducibility of our system and its usefulness and accuracy for daily treatment. We also found that tissue inhomogeneity correction was necessary for the accurate estimation of transmission dose in patients treated to the head and neck.
