An isocentrically mounted stand for total body irradiation.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Radiotherapy Technology

Background:

• Total body photon irradiation requires precise patient immobilization and positioning for effective treatment.
• Isocentric treatments are sensitive to source-to-skin distance variations, impacting midline dose.
• Efficient setup and treatment delivery are crucial in radiation oncology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and construct a novel rotating stand for supporting patients during total body photon irradiation.
• To enhance the speed and accuracy of patient set-up and treatment delivery.
• To investigate methods for improving dose accuracy and organ shielding during irradiation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a rotating patient support stand for isocentric alignment.
• Implementation of a lucite plate with indexing for lung block placement to increase skin dose.
• Detailed description of patient immobilization techniques, dosimetry, and production of tissue deficit compensators.

Main Results:

• Phantom studies and in vivo thermoluminescent dosimetry measurements were conducted to validate the setup.
• The rotating stand facilitates isocentric treatments, reducing sensitivity to source-to-skin distance variations.
• The lucite plate and indexing system enable precise lung shielding and skin dose modulation.

Conclusions:

• The developed rotating stand is effective for patient support in total body photon irradiation.
• The system improves treatment efficiency, accuracy, and organ shielding capabilities.
• This technology offers a valuable advancement for radiotherapy delivery.