Dosimetric verification of surface and superficial doses for head and neck IMRT with different PTV shrinkage margins

Abstract

Application of the PTV shrinkage method should take into account the calculation inaccuracy, tumor coverage, and possible skin reaction. When the tumor does not invade the superficial region, an adequate shrinkage margin from the surface is helpful for reducing the skin reaction. As the tumor invades the superficial region, adding a bolus is a method better than only contouring PTV with skin inclusion.