Effect of Body Size Change on Off-Center Cervical Point and Face Doses in Patients Undergoing Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Radiotherapy

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a clinically multiple malignant tumor. At present, with the increase in the infection rate of Epstein-Barr virus, the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is also increasing day by day. To explore the effect of body size change on off-center cervical point and face doses in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) undergoing radiotherapy, in total, 100 patients with NPC from January 2019 to May 2020 in our hospital were selected for retrospective analysis, and they all received intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Bodyweight, horizontal longitudinal diameter of the odontoid process, longitudinal diameter of the third cervical spine, maximum radiation dose, and average radiation dose of normal organs in the first and last treatments were assessed, and the correlation between normal organ irradiation dose and body size was analyzed. Bodyweight, horizontal longitudinal diameter of the odontoid process, and longitudinal diameter of the third cervical spine in the last treatment were lower than those in the first treatment, with a statistically significant difference. There was no statistically significant difference in the maximum normal organ irradiation dose to the left eyeball, right eyeball, left crystalline lens, right crystalline lens, and maximum irradiation dose to optic nerve between the last treatment and the first treatment. In the last treatment, the maximum dose to the left parotid gland, right parotid gland, spinal cord, and brain stem was higher than that in the first treatment. The average irradiation dose to the left eye bulb, right eye bulb, left lens, right lens, optic nerve in the last treatment, and that in the first treatment showed no significant difference. The average dose to the left parotid gland, right parotid gland, spinal cord, and brain stem in the last treatment was higher than that in the first treatment. The irradiation dose to the left parotid gland, right parotid gland, spinal cord, and brain stem was significantly negatively correlated with body weight, horizontal longitudinal diameter of the odontoid process, and longitudinal diameter of the third cervical spine. After NPC radiotherapy, the body size of patients can change, which can have different effects on irradiation doses. Therefore, the target area and dose should be corrected during treatment to ensure the efficacy and safety of the treatment.