3-D Conformal Radiation Therapy

3D conformal radiotherapy indicates that we are using a 3D view and planning software to set our beam’s shape and angle. We are using a CT to contour or draw in volumes of both the tumor and any normal structures. Based on these volumes, we can determine what angle and shape of the beam we want. The MD and Dosimetrist determines the best angle and shape and uses help from a Dose Volume Histogram (DVH) – basically a graph showing what % of a certain structure is receiving what % of the total dose.