A reliable intensity modulated radiation therapy approach with multiple opposed lateral fields for head and neck tumors

To deliver a homogeneous dose to the head and neck region, a complex treatment plan is often required with wedges oriented along both inferior-superior and anterior-posterior directions due to the complicated patient curvature in this region. The fraction numbers for each wedge orientation and angles of the wedges need to be carefully adjusted to optimize the dose distribution. In this study, the authors applied intensity modulated lateral fields with multileaf collimators to achieve a relatively homogeneous dose distribution in the head and neck region without using any wedges, and compared the isodose distribution with the one planned with wedges.