Abstract

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Title:: Dosimetric comparison of IMRT versus VMAT for advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma using voxel-based method

Author(s):: DU Fenglei; YANG Yiwei; SHAO Kainan; Department of Radiation Physics, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou 310022, China

Keywords:: Keywords: nasopharyngeal carcinoma radiotherapy CT brain template dosimetry

Abstract:: Abstract: Objective To identify the exact locations of the brain being irradiated in advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients during radiotherapy, and to analyze the differences in brain dose distribution between advanced NPC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Methods Based on the CT brain template provided by the Montreal Neurological Institute, the brain dose distribution was analyzed with voxel-based method. Results For advanced NPC patients, VMAT plans did not demonstrate superiority in normal brain tissue sparing, while IMRT performed better, with advantages observed in regions such as the brainstem, the posterior lobe of the cerebellum, the anterior lobe of the cerebellum, temporal lobes, occipital lobes, limbic lobes, and certain areas of the subcortical regions. Conclusion IMRT is advantageous over VMAT in protecting the normal brain tissues in advanced NPC patients.