Abstract :
Introduction: CT number (CTN) for the gross tumour volumes (GTV) can change with radiation therapy which could be an early indicator for radiation response. This study investigates the correlation of radiation induced changes in volume and CTN in GTV of primary and nodal tumour during the course of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in head and neck cancers (HNC).
Materials and Method: Re-CT scans were acquired at 4 weeks for 71 patients with stage II- IVb HNC treated with chemoradiation. The changes in volumes and CTN of the GTV primary and GTV node at 4 weeks of radiation were observed. Pearsons’s correlation were used to assess any correlation between CTN change and volume reduction of the GTVs.
Results: The volumes of the GTV Primary and GTV Node were reduced during the course of the radiation therapy after 4 weeks with mean volume shrinkage of 26.30±7.66(p
Keyword :
Head and neck cancer, CT number change, IMRT, Gross tumour volume