BackgroundThe aim of the study was to present dosimetric comparison of image guided high-dose-rate brachytherapy (IGBT) with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for head and neck cancer regarding conformity of dose distribution to planning target volume (PTV) and doses to organs at risk (OARs).Patients and methodsThirty-eight consecutive patients with T1-4 mobile tongue, floor of mouth and base of tongue cancer treated with IGBT were selected. For these patients additional VMAT treatment plans were also prepared using identical computed tomography data. OARs and PTV related parameters (e.g. V98, D0.1cm3, Dmean, etc.) were compared.ResultsMean V98 of the PTV was 90.2% vs. 90.4% (p > 0.05) for IGBT and VMAT, respectively. Mean D0.1cm3 to the mandible was 77.0% vs. 85.4% (p < 0.05). Dmean to ipsilateral and contralateral parotid glands was 4.6% vs. 4.6% and 3.0% vs. 3.9% (p > 0.05). Dmean to ipsilateral and contralateral submandibular glands was 16.4% vs. 21.9% (p > 0.05) and 8.2% vs. 16.9% (p < 0.05), respectively.ConclusionsBoth techniques showed excellent target coverage. With IGBT dose to normal tissues was lower than with VMAT. The results prove the superiority of IGBT in the protection of OARs and the important role of this invasive method in the era of new external beam techniques.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.