A comparison of dose distributions of HDR intracavitary brachytherapy using different sources and treatment planning systems

To evaluate the influence of different sources and treatment planning systems (TPSs), we calculated the dose distributions of 10 patients treated by HDR intracavitary brachytherapy. The dose distributions of treatment plans were compared to the points A, B and ICRU bladder and rectum reference points located in the relevant clinical planes. The results show that the dose discrepancies between the two treatment plans are mainly affected by the differences in the physical characteristics of source and the positioning method in TPSs. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.