In prostate IMRT planning, the planning target volume (PTV), extended from a clinical target volume (CTV), often contains an overlap air volume from the rectum, which poses a problem inoptimization and prescription. This study was aimed to establish a planning method for such a case. There can be three options in which volume should be considered the target during optimization process; PTV including the air volume of air density (‘airOpt’), PTV including the air volume of density value one, mimicking the tissue material (‘density1Opt’), and PTV excluding the air volume (‘noAirOpt’). Using 10 MV photon beams, seven field IMRT plans for each target were created with the same parameter condition. For these three cases, DVHs for the PTV, bladder and the rectum were compared. Also, the dose coverage for the CTV and the shifted CTV were evaluated in which the shifted CTV was a copied and translated virtual CTV toward the rectum inside the PTV, thus occupying the initial position of the overlap air volume, simulating the worst condition for the dose coverage in the target. Among the three options, only density1Opt plan gave clinically acceptable result in terms of target coverage and maximum dose. The airOpt plan gave exceedingly higher dose and excessive dose coverage for the target volume whereas noAirOpt plan gave underdose for the shifted CTV. Therefore, for prostate IMRT plan, having an air region in the PTV, density modification of the included air to the value of one, is suggested, prior to optimization and prescription for the PTV. This idea can be equally applied to any cases including the head and neck cancer with the PTV having the overlapped air region. Further study is being under process.

KeywordsIMRT, Convolution-superposition, Prostate, Rectum air