Dose distribution of IMRT and 3D-CRT on treating central non-small-cell lung cancer

3D-CRT and IMRT were used in the radiation therapy of Central Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the dose difference of the methods was estimated. Thirty-two patients suffering with II class NSCLC were selected. Based on CT images, each patient was given 1 3D-CRT (3 dimensional conformal radiotherapy) and 2 IMRT(intensity modulated radiation therapy) treatment plans (5 fields and 7 fields), respectively, and the dose distribution was evaluated too. The results showed that PTVDmean and the PTVmax, PTVDmax (%) and CI of IMRT were both higher than those of 3D-CRT, but the uniformity was not as good as 3D-CRT. All indexes of lung and spinal cord treated with IMRT were lower than that treated with 3D-CRT. Moreover, there was no significance of the difference between 5 fields and 7 fields. In a conclusion, IMRT could not only decrease the target dose of NSCLC, but it can protect normal tissue from radiation damage effectively. And when IMRT was used, 5 fields might be enough. (authors)