| خلاصه مقاله | Introduction:
Nasopharyngeal Cancer (NPC) is one of the most common head and neck cancers. Approximately 68% of NPC patients suffer from locally advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to compare and evaluate the dosimetric parameters of Three Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy (3D-CRT), step-and-shoot Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (SaS IMRT) and Helical Tomotherapy (HT) in advanced NPC to help choose the optimal technique for nasopharyngeal patients.
Method:
A retrospective study was conducted involving 10 patients with advanced NPC who were re-planned using HT, SaS-IMRT and 3D-CRT techniques. All three techniques were optimized to deliver 70 Gy in 33 fractions simultaneously to the primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes, and 59.4 Gy in 33 fractions to the high-risk regions. The dosimetric parameters of the Planning Target Volumes (PTVs) and Organs at Risks (OARs), along with treatment time, were evaluated and compared using the paired-samples t-test.
Results:
HT significantly possessed better target homogeneity, conformity and better mean dose compared to 3D-CRT and SaS-IMRT. Also, reduced the dose delivered to OARs compared with 3D-CRT. Although in compared with SaS-IMRT and HT, 3D-CRT reduced the treatment delivery time by 51.5% and 44.05% respectively, but worse in tumor coverage and dosimetric accuracy and protection of some OAR compared with SaS-IMRT and HT.
Conclusion:
Despite the HT achieving optimal conformity, homogeneity for PTV coverage, and optimal OARs sparing, shorter treatment times for 3D-CRT reduce the probability of patient movement and discomfort. The findings of this study can offer guidance for selecting suitable radiation technologies for treating patients with advanced NPC. |