In the present study, we aimed to evaluate effects of bladder filling on dose–volume distributions for bladder, rectum, planning target volume (PTV), and prostate in radiation therapy of prostate cancer. Patients (n = 21) were scanned with a full bladder, and after 1 hour, having been allowed to void, with an empty bladder. Radiotherapy plans were generated using a four-field box technique and dose of 70 Gy in 35 fractions. First, plans obtained for full- and empty-bladder scans were compared. Second, situations in which a patient was planned on full bladder but was treated on empty bladder, and vice versa, were simulated, assuming that patients were aligned to external tattoos. Doses to the prostate [equivalent uniform dose (EUD)], bladder and rectum [effective dose (Deff)], and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were compared. Dose to the small bowel was examined. Mean bladder volume was 354.3 cm3 when full and 118.2 cm3 when empty. Median prostate EUD was 70 Gy for plans based on full- and emptybladder scans alike. The median rectal Deff was 55.6 Gy for full-bladder anatomy and 56.8 Gy for empty-bladder anatomy, and the corresponding bladder Deff wa
