A conceptual design of rotating board technique for delivering total skin electron therapy

Purpose: This study presents a novel technique in which a uniform radiation dose to the whole body, soles, and scalp vertex can be achieved in one electron beam treatment fraction. Methods: The patient was treated at a machine with a home-made rotating board. The patients were treated in two groups in the prone and supine positions by leaning onto an inner rotational board in the prone and supine positions. Each group can further be separated into two subgroups using tilting and rotational positions for treatment. Results: One of the beams was directed 15.5 deg. upward and 15.5 deg. downward from the horizontal axis to provide a field size of as large as 200 cm in height and 140 cm in width. An incline angle of 31.5 deg. anteriorly (forward) or posteriorly (backward) of the outer frame at an angle rotated 60 deg. clockwise or counterclockwise to the inner frame was found to be most appropriate. The output for the rotating board total skin electron therapy (RB-TSET) was 0.046 cGy/MU at ISD of 350 cm. The beam characteristics of the RB-TSET depth dose curves were R{sub 50}=2.48 cm, d{sub max}=0.7 cm, E{sub 0}=5.78 MeV, and R{sub p}=3.4 cm. Conclusions: The RB-TSETmore » technique presented in this study is able to deliver a uniform radiation dose to the patient's skin surface, the scalp vertex, and soles of the feet all at one time, eliminating the trouble of having to further irradiate these two regions separately when using the Stanford six field technique.« less