• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.175-181
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• 2012

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the influence of aquaplastic mask which is used for the radiotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer on patient positioning by analyzing the results of 2D/2D matching with the use of Exactrac 6D couch system. Materials and Methods: 2D/2D matching-based Image guidance was performed with the use of Exactrac 6D couch system on a total of 14 patients with head and neck cancer who received radiotherapy at this hospital in a period from June 2010 to June 2011. The adjusted 6D values obtained after the image guidance were classified into values related with patients and values not related with patients as to the correlation between the results. Results: In the analysis of the relation of each adjusted value to patients, the coefficient of determination ($R^2$) of longitudinal and pitch direction was 0.76, of longitudinal and yaw direction was 0.48, and of pitch and yaw direction was 0.42 although the coefficient of determination for above factors was 0.03 or less when the dependency of patients was excluded. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that intrinsic factors of aquaplastic mask had influence on the immobilization of patients by aquaplastic mask although various factors related with patients had influence on the immobilization of patients. It is believed that if these factors are adjusted, the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer can be more accurate.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.86-92
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to measure curvature contour skin dose using radiochromic film and TLD for a conventional open field. We also attempted to quantify the degradation of skin sparing associated with use of immobilization devices for high energy photon beams and to calculate the skin dose with a help of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. To simulate head-and-neck and shoulder treatment, a cylindrical solid water phantom 11 cm in diameter was irradiated with 6 MV x-rays using $40{\times}40\;cm^2$ field at 100 cm source axis distance (SAD) to the center of the phantom. Aquaplastic mesh mask was placed on the surface of the cylindrical phantom that mimicked relevant clinical situations. The skin dose profile was obtained by taking measurements from $0^{\circ}$ to $360^{\circ}$ around the circumference of the cylindrical phantom. The skin doses obtained from radiochromic film were found to be 47% of the maximum dose of $D_{max}$ at the $0^{\circ}$ beam entry position and 61% at the $90^{\circ}$ oblique beam position without the mask. Using the mask (1.5 mm), the skin dose received was 59% at $0^{\circ}$ incidence and 78% at $80^{\circ}$ incidence. Skin dose results were also gathered using thin thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). With the mask, the skin dose was 66% at $0^{\circ}$ incidence and 80% at $80^{\circ}$ incidence. This method with the mask revealed the similar pattern as film measurement. For the treatments of the head-and-neck and shoulder regions in which immobilization mask was used, skin doses at around tangential angle were nearly the same as the prescription dose. When a sloping skin contour is encountered, skin doses may be abated using thinner and more perforated immoblization devices which should still maintain immoblization.