title: [Recommendations for a head and neck IMRT quality assurance protocol].
abstract: Head and neck tumors represent very interesting targets for IMRT techniques because of the complex shape of the structures and the organs at risk close by. The use of this kind of techniques requires a quality assurance protocol. The physicists of the GORTEC group shared their experience to define some recommendations in order to draw up a QA protocol. The dosimetric verification of the treatment plans (in terms of absolute and relative dose), the control of the reproducibility of the patient positioning and the use of a record and verify system to control the different parameters form the main parts of these recommendations. Each chapter comprises a description of the different methods, recommendations concerning the equipment, the adopted tolerances, the frequency of controls. At the end of each chapter, a table summarizes the main actions to carry out. These recommendations will allow to harmonize our practices whatever the softwares and the accelerator that are being used. They will simplify the task of the teams that wish to implement IMRT for head and neck tumors.
authors.affiliation: Service de physique médicale, institut Curie, 26, rue d'Ulm 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zefkili
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tomsej
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aletti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bidault
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bridier
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marchesi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marcié
mesh_terms: D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000592:standards*