Evaluation of fluence-smoothing feature for three IMRT planning systems.

Commercially available intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) inverse treatment planning systems (ITPS) typically include a smoothing function which allows the user to vary the complexity of delivered beam fluence patterns. This study evaluated the behavior of three ITPSs when varying smoothing parameters. We evaluated four cases treated with IMRT in our clinic: sinonasal carcinoma (SNC), glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), base of tongue carcinoma (BOT), and prostate carcinoma (PST).

Optimization of collimator parameters to reduce rectal dose in intensity-modulated prostate treatment planning.

The inability to avoid rectal wall irradiation has been a limiting factor in prostate cancer treatment planning. Treatment planners must not only consider the maximum dose that the rectum receives throughout a course of treatment, but also the dose that any volume of the rectum receives. As treatment planning techniques have evolved and prescription doses have escalated, limitations of rectal dose have remained an area of focus.

The application of electron beam delivery using dose rate variation and dynamic couch motion in conformal treatment of the cranial-spinal axis.

Radiation therapy to the cranial-spinal axis is typically targeted to the spinal cord and to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the subarachnoid space adjacent to the spinal cord and brain. Standard techniques employed in the treatment of the whole central nervous system do little to compensate for the varying depths of spinal cord along the length of the spinal field. Lateral simulation films, sagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computerized tomography (CT) are used to estimate an average prescription depth for treatment along the spine field.