I’m planning my first head & neck case
A learning roadmap: the concepts and resources to understand before planning head and neck IMRT or VMAT. It is not instruction on how to treat any specific patient.
- See how the subsites differ
One table comparing approach, schedule, chemotherapy and neck for each subsite.
- Understand mask setup and imaging
Mask, bite blocks, image fusion and replanning.
- Understand dose levels, SIB and sequential boosts
Two ways to deliver several dose levels, and why treatment time matters.
- Understand the target volumes
High-, intermediate- and low-dose CTVs and the elective neck.
- Review contouring resources
Organ-by-organ guides for the head and neck, based on the Brouwer 2015 consensus.
- Understand PRVs
Why the cord and brainstem carry a planning risk volume.
- Understand mean dose and near-max dose
How salivary and serial-organ limits are written.
- Review the common dose constraints
One table for every subsite, with the study behind each value.
- Read your subsite page
What changes for oropharynx, oral cavity, larynx, nasopharynx or post-op.
- Understand basic plan evaluation
Putting coverage, hotspots and organ doses together.