Small bowel protection in IMRT for rectal cancer : A dosimetric study on supine vs. prone position.

Background: This treatment planning study analyzes dose coverage and dose to organs at risk (OAR) in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of rectal cancer and compares prone vs. supine positioning as well as the effect of dose optimization for the small bowel (SB) by additional dose constraints in the inverse planning process.

Patients And Methods: Based on the CT datasets of ten male patients in both prone and supine position, a total of four different IMRT plans were created for each patient.