Table 6.

Dose comparisons of the PRV-spinal cord and the PRV-oesophagus between the three plans and with or without irradiation of supraclavicular lymph node (arithmetical mean)

Parameters	3D-CRT		IMRT		VMAT		3D-CRT vs IMRT		3D-CRT vs VMAT		3D-CRT vs VMAT
	Without supraclavicular lymph node	With supraclavicular lymph node	Without supraclavicular lymph node	With supraclavicular lymph node	Without supraclavicular lymph node	With supraclavicular lymph node	Without supraclavicular lymph node	With supraclavicular lymph node	Without supraclavicular lymph node	With supraclavicular lymph node	Without supraclavicular lymph node	With supraclavicular lymph node
Spinal cord
Dmax (Gy)	0.519±0.19	28.800±7.72	1.074±0.88	25.318±6.49	7.543±2.72	26.760±2.89	0.074	0.507	0.0001 (<0.001)	0.639	0.0001 (<0.001)	0.62
Oesophagus
Dmax (Gy)	0.911±0.29	36.660±20.37	3.662±3.50	39.928±12.15	10.521±2.35	41.108±12.94	0.058	0.62	0.004 (<0.01)	0.612	<0.0001 (<0.0001)	0.360

3D, three dimensional; CRT, conformal radiotherapy; D95, the dose distributed in ≥95% of the PTV; D_mean, mean dose; IMRT, intensity-modulated radiotherapy; PTV, planning target volume; VMAT, volumetric modulated arc therapy.