Abstract
Aim: Improvement of the dose homogeneity in radiation treatment of the intact breast using 3D-planning and dose volume histograms. Patients and Method: 3D-planning, including the calculation of dose volume histograms of the planning target volume, was performed on 15 patients, who underwent radiation therapy with tangential photon beams. A standard plan and 2 modified or optimized plans were evaluated. Different dosimetric parameters like maximum dose, mean dose, standard deviation and the fractional volume which receives doses from 95 to 105% of the reference dose were compared and correlated with breast size. Results: With increasing breast size standard planning leads to increased overdosage, both in magnitude and volume. Individual optimization by modifying weights and wedges gives no improvement in dose homogeneity, whereas a photon energy of 10 MV results in a more homogeneous dose distribution. The drawback of the higher energy is the increased underdosage of the skin. Conclusion: Using the standard geometry of tangential fields the dose homogeneity cannot be improved significantly by 3D-planning, compared to our standard technique.
Translated title of the contribution | Dose volume histograms from 3D treatment planning of the irradiation of the intact breast |
---|---|
Original language | German |
Pages (from-to) | 329-332 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Strahlentherapie und Onkologie |
Volume | 174 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |