Abstract
Purpose
Total skin electron beam therapy (TSEBT) is still a technical and therapeutic challenge today. Thus, we developed TSEBT using a sweeping-beam technique.
Methods
For treatment delivery, a linear accelerator Versa HD (ELEKTA, Stockholm, Sweden) with high-dose-rate electrons (HDRE) was used with a dose rate of 9000 MU/min. Dosimetry quality assurance was performed by multiple measurements with film dosimetry, 2D array, and Roos chamber.
Results
Clinical experience shows that treatment durations of 75 to 90 min are usual for the Stanford technique without using HDRE. With this new sweeping-beam irradiation technique, the total treatment time of a daily fraction could be reduced to 20 min while keeping over- and underdosing low. The treatment area is about 60 cm × 200 cm and the dose distribution is uniform within 2% and 5% in vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. Initially, the electron energy of 6 MeV is reduced to 3.2 MeV by 1‑cm polymethylmethacrylat (PMMA) scatter and the irradiation conditions of a source–surface distance (SSD) of 350 cm. The photon contamination drops to under 1%.
Conclusion
These results show that the mean dose to total skin varies between 1.3 and 1.8 Gy. The sweeping-beam technique with electrons has a homogeneous dose distribution in connection with a short treatment time.
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M. Schöpe, J. Sahlmann, K. Lorenz, A. Findeisen, T. Barthel, and G. Klautke declare that they have no competing interests.
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Schöpe, M., Sahlmann, J., Lorenz, K. et al. Sweeping-beam technique with electrons for large treatment areas as total skin irradiation. Strahlenther Onkol 198, 47–55 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-021-01859-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-021-01859-1