An air gap between the bolus material and the skin is a well-known problem in radiotherapy. Studies show that even a small air gap can reduce the surface dose by 10–20% (e.g. Butson et al., 2000). This can lead to underdosing of the target volume and compromise treatment quality.
BolusCare minimizes this risk through its flexible adaptation to patient anatomy, ensuring even contact without air gaps.
In addition, air gaps can also affect the dose distribution in deeper tissue layers, distorting the planned treatment geometry. The risk of such inhomogeneities is particularly increased in anatomically complex regions or on uneven skin surfaces. Inadequate adaptation of the bolus material can also lead to interfractional variations if positioning varies slightly from day to day. This limits the reproducibility of treatment and reduces therapeutic safety. Reliably avoiding air gaps is therefore a key factor for precise, consistent radiotherapy.