Dosimetric effects of swelling or shrinking tissue during helical tomotherapy breast irradiation. A phantom study.

During radiation therapy of the female breast, the actual target volume compared to the planning target volume may change due to swelling or shrinking of the tissue. Under- or overdosage is to be expected, especially when performing IMRT or tomotherapy techniques. The objective of this study is to develop a model-based quantification of these dose effects, with a particular focus on the changes in the surface dose.