What factors influence isodose distribution?

Isodose distribution is significantly influenced by various factors, and the correct choice encompasses a comprehensive set of those influencing factors: beam quality, source-to-skin distance (SSD), field size, and the type of machine being utilized.

Beam quality directly affects the energy of the radiation, which influences how it interacts with tissues and how the dose distributes throughout the body. Higher energy beams tend to penetrate deeper, resulting in different dose distributions compared to lower energy beams.

Source-to-skin distance is crucial because it determines how the radiation spreads and attenuates before reaching the target area. Variations in SSD can alter the dose delivered to the treatment site; a smaller SSD generally results in a higher surface dose, while a larger SSD can disperse the beam more, affecting deeper tissue doses.

Field size plays a role in determining the volume of tissue being treated and how the dose is distributed across that area. Smaller fields can lead to sharper dose gradients, while larger fields might create more uniform distributions.

The type of machine, whether it be a linear accelerator or a cobalt machine, also affects the characteristics of the radiation beam produced, further influencing the isodose curves.

While factors such as the type of radiation source, patient positioning and immobilization, and collim