Comparison of Carotid Artery Dose in Early-Stage Glottic Cancer Treated with 3D-Conformal, Helical-IMRT and VMAT

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to compare the dosimetry of carotid arteries (CAs) using three radiation therapy (RT) techniques, three-dimensional conformal RT (3D-CRT), helical tomotherapy-intensity-modulated RT (HT-IMRT), and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), in patients with early-stage glottic cancer. Patients and Methods A retrospective analysis of 28 patients was performed, and the right and left CAs were delineated. Mean and maximum dose (Dmax) values were compared across the three treatment techniques. Results The results indicate that 3D-CRT plans had the highest mean and maximum doses to CAs, while VMAT plans had the lowest doses. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the feasibility of sparing CAs with newer RT modalities. Further clinical studies are needed to determine if these techniques can reduce carotid stenosis-related events.