RESUMO
Reproducible patient positioning is important in radiotherapy (RT) of head-and-neck cancer. We therefore compared set-up errors in head-and-neck RT resulting from three different patient positioning systems. Patients were either treated with a standard head support (SHS) and conventional treatment couch (SHS-3, nâ¯=â¯10), a SHS and rotational couch (SHS-6, nâ¯=â¯10), or an individual head support (IHS) and rotational couch (IHS-6, nâ¯=â¯10). Interfraction mean translation vector lenghts were significantly lower for IHS-6 compared to SHS-3 (0.8⯱â¯0.3â¯mm vs. 1.4⯱â¯0.7â¯mm, Pâ¯=â¯0.001). Intrafraction displacement was comparable among cohorts. This study showed that the use of a six degrees of freedom couch combined with an IHS in head-and-neck RT resulted in better interfraction reproducibility.