A measurement of doses to the neck for mantle field treatment of lymphomas with cobalt-60, 4-, and 10-MV photon beams.

Dose distributions within the neck, resulting from equally weighted, parallel, opposed mantle fields, were measured using thermoluminescence dosimetry in using thermoluminescence dosimetry in an anthropomorphic phantom. Results show the similarity and adequacy of the neck dose distribution using photon beams from cobalt 60, a 4-MV linear accelerator with an external filter, and a 10-MV linear accelerator. For equal mid-plane doses, the 4-MV beam without external flattening resulted in superficial dose rates to the lateral neck approximately 10%-15% higher than the other three beams studied.