Start here · Students & new planners

I’m planning my first brain case

A learning roadmap: the concepts and resources to understand before planning brain radiotherapy — glioma, radiosurgery or whole brain. It is not instruction on how to treat any specific patient.

  1. See the brain treatment pages

    Glioma, radiosurgery, palliative whole brain and hippocampal avoidance.

  2. Understand mask setup and MRI fusion

    Why the MRI registration decides every contour.

  3. Understand glioma target volumes

    Cavity, enhancing tumor, T2/FLAIR change and PRVs.

  4. Review contouring resources

    Organ contouring guides for the brain.

  5. Understand PRVs and near-max dose

    How brainstem and optic limits are written.

  6. Understand radiosurgery dose fall-off

    Conformity, gradient and the brain V12 Gy.

  7. Understand the gradient index

    One way to measure how fast dose falls away from the target.

  8. Compare the two whole-brain techniques

    Opposed laterals versus an IMRT plan built around the hippocampi.

  9. Review the constraint tables

    Every brain limit, with the source behind each value.

  10. Understand basic plan evaluation

    Putting coverage, hotspots and organ doses together.