Evolving Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy: Exploring Gonadal Doses in 3DCRT and IMRT with Testicular Shielding

Objective: To compare the dosimetry of IMRT versus 3DCRT in prostate cancer, with a focus on testicular dose using lead testicular shielding. Materials and Methods: From January 2021 to January 2022, twenty patients with localized prostate cancer underwent IMRT treatment. Plans for 3DCRT were generated for each patient. Comparison was made between 3D-CRT and IMRT regarding target volume dose uniformity, sparing of critical organs, and testicular doses. Results: Significant differences were observed in dose uniformity and sparing of critical organs between the two modalities (p<0.005), demonstrating the superiority of IMRT over 3DCRT. However, with lead testicular shielding, comparable testicular doses were achieved with both techniques. Conclusion: IMRT offers superior dosimetric advantages compared to 3DCRT. Nevertheless, the testicular dose remains nearly equivalent between the two techniques when utilizing lead testicular shielding.