Preliminary treatment planning strategy for blood dose reduction in head and neck radiotherapy

Key Points

• This study aims to determine a treatment planning strategy for reducing blood dose during head and neck radiotherapy.
• Incorporated blood-rich structures as organs at risk (OARs) in treatment planning.
• Adopted intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) techniques.
• Focused on minimizing blood dose during radiotherapy procedures.
• Effectively reduced blood dose to critical structures.
• Minimized damage to lymphocytes, which are important for immune function.
• Integration of blood dose considerations is feasible in current clinical workflows.