A new phantom for individual verification of the dose distribution in precision radiotherapy for head-and-νeck cancer

Background/Aim: Many patients with head-and-neck cancers receive radiotherapy. Treatment planning can be very complex in case of dental fillings or implants that cause metal artefacts. Verification of dose distributions may be performed using specific phantoms. This study aimed to develop a 3D-printed phantom that can be produced easily and cost-effectively. Patients and Methods: The phantom was designed to allow fast adaption to a patient’s individual situation with a particular focus on metal artefacts due to dental fillings. Bone and soft-tissue shells were 3D-printed and filled with tissue-equivalent materials. Results: Attenuation properties of the tissue-equivalent structures in the phantom corresponded well to the structures of real human anatomy. In magnetic resonance (MR)-imaging, useful signals of the materials in the phantom were obtained. Conclusion: The phantom met the requirements including equivalence with human tissues and can be useful for highly individual treatment planning in precision-radiotherapy of head-and-neck cancers. It can be also used for scientific issues related to MR-imaging.