Measurement of scatter factors for 4, 6, 10, and 23 MV x rays at scattering angles between 30 degrees and 135 degrees

NCRP Report No. 49, published in 1976, describes how to calculate the shielding for the medical use of x rays and gamma rays for energies up to 10 MV, including primary, scattered, and leakage radiation. However, in that report, data for scattered radiation for linear accelerators exist only for 6 MV, and leakage radiation is assumed, incorrectly, to be equivalent to primary radiation. Since the publication of that report, linear accelerators with energies up to 25 MV have been widely used in the radiation therapy community. Thus, there is a need to measure additional data for all energies in the range 4-25 MV. In this study, measurements were made of the "a" factor for 4, 6, 10, and 23 MV x rays at scattering angles between 30 degrees and 135 degrees. The results show that the 6 and 10 MV "a" factor data are consistent with published data, and the 23 MV data are also consistent with recently published data at 18 and 25 MV. The data show that, in general, the "a" factor decreases with energy; the exception is that 23 MV data show a sharp increase at low scattering angles, much greater than at other energies.     

Measurement of TVLs in lead for 4, 6 and 10 MV bremsstrahlung x-ray beams at scattering angles between 30 degrees and 135 degrees

Measurements have been made of the transmission factors through lead for scattered radiation produced by 4, 6, and 10 MV bremsstrahlung x-ray beams incident on a polystyrene phantom; these measurements cover the range of scattering angles between 30 degrees and 135 degrees. The results show that the tenth value layer (TVL) for scattered radiation decreases sharply with increasing scattering angle and increases slightly with increasing beam energy, although at large scattering angles there is little energy dependence. TVLs range from 3.5 cm to 0.3 cm for 4 MV at scattering angles between 30 degrees and 135 degrees, from 3.8 cm to 0.6 cm for 6 MV, and from 4.2 cm to 0.7 cm for 10 MV, respectively, at scattering angles between 30 degrees and 120 degrees. Monte Carlo calculations, performed at 4 MV to simulate the transmission of scattered radiation, are in good agreement with the experimental measurements.     

Do angles of obliquity apply to 30 degrees scattered radiation from megavoltage beams?

The angle of obliquity is used in radiation shielding calculations to account for the longer path length x rays will see when obliquely incident on the protective barrier. According to the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), use of the angle of obliquity is explicitly assumed for primary radiation, so that an angle of obliquity for secondary radiation is never addressed. However, in the example section of the latest report, it specifically recommends against using an angle of obliquity for scattered radiation. To check this assumption, the existence or not of an angle of obliquity for scattered radiation has been investigated for bremsstrahlung x-ray beams of 4, 6, 10, 15, and 18 MV and for barriers consisting of concrete, lead, and steel using a Monte Carlo approach. The MCNP Monte Carlo code, v4.2C, has been used to generate scattered radiation at 30 degrees from a water phantom and incident on a secondary barrier at the same angle relative to the normal to the barrier. The barrier thickness was increased from zero to a thickness sufficient to reduce the fluence (f4 tally) to <10(-3). A transmission curve was created for each energy-barrier material combination by normalizing to zero thickness. The results for the first tenth-value layer (TVL) in concrete (5 energies) show an average angle of obliquity of 21.7 degrees +/- 5.6 degrees , and for the first two TVLs averaged 29.7 degrees +/- 3.9 degrees . The results for the first TVL in lead (3 energies) show an average angle of obliquity of 27.7 degrees +/- 4.0 degrees , and for the first two TVLs averaged 20.5 degrees +/- 5.8 degrees . There are no data in the NCRP reports for 30 degrees scattered radiation attenuated by steel with which to make a comparison.     

Analysis of tenth-value-layers for common shielding materials for a robotically mounted stereotactic radiosurgery machine

Tenth-value-layers (TVLs) for a 6 MV stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) x-ray beam have been computed using Monte Carlo methods for radiation transport simulation. The first and equilibrium TVLs were determined in the three most common building materials used in radiation therapy vault construction: ordinary concrete, lead, and steel (iron). In contrast to broad-beam 6 MV TVL data found in the literature, the SRS TVLs can change rapidly with the size of the radiation field incident on the barrier. This research has investigated characteristics of TVLs as a function of field size (diameter) at the barrier for all materials, with special attention given to the TVL properties in iron. The x-ray spectrum used to perform these simulations was generated for the CyberKnife accelerator with the BEAMnrc Monte Carlo code. Using this spectrum as input to the MCNP5 Monte Carlo code, predicted tissue-maximum-ratio (TMR) values for a 6-cm-diameter field (at 80 cm from the target) were benchmarked against measured TMR data. The MCNP5 code was used to simulate all barrier transmissions, keeping the standard error of each data point below 1% of the mean. Results compare very well with previous measured concrete TVLs and also with published broad-beam 6 MV TVL data for all three barrier materials.     

Determination of percentage depth dose for 6 and 10 MV x-rays using Ge-doped optical fibre and TLD-100.

Percentage depth doses for 6 and 10 MV x-ray beams from a linear accelerator were measured using approximately 1 cm long (approximately 0.3 mg) Ge-doped optical fibre as a thermoluminescence dosimeter for two field sizes, 5 x 5 and 10 x 10 cm2. The results indicate that the Ge-doped optical fibre dosimeter is in good agreement with the results from a PTW 30001 cylindrical ionisation chamber and TLD-100. For 6 MV x-ray beams we observe that the depth of maximum dose d(max) is 1.5 and 2 cm for field sizes of 5 x 5 and 10 x 10 cm2 respectively. For 10 MV d(max) is 2 cm for a field size of 5 x 5 cm2 and 2.5 cm for a 10 x 10 cm2 field.     

Radiation transmission and scattering for medical linacs producing x rays of 6 and 15 MV: comparison of calculations with measurements

We present comparisons of calculated and measured dose equivalent rates outside the shielding and in the entry mazes of 2 medical linac facilities producing x rays at 6 and 15 MV. Calculations were made using the NCRP recommendations for estimating transmission of radiation through a shielding wall and scattering of radiation in a maze. We found that, for walls made of high-density concrete, the x-ray dose rate outside the shield was estimated within 50% if transmission factors measured in the appropriate high-density concrete were used. The dose rate was overestimated by a factor of 2-4 when transmission factors for normal concrete were scaled using a density ratio. Dose equivalent rates calculated for x rays and neutrons in the entry mazes agreed within a factor of 2 with the measurements.     

基于蒙特卡罗方法的质子治疗室屏蔽防护探讨

目的 探讨质子治疗室屏蔽防护材料和屏蔽厚度的选择,积累质子治疗室屏蔽防护经验,为质子治疗室的建设提供科学依据。方法 采用基于蒙特卡罗方法的FLUKA程序建立质子治疗室的屏蔽计算模型,模拟质子治疗室的辐射场分布,对质子治疗室的屏蔽进行优化。结果 厚度为250 cm混凝土控制室墙外30 cm处周围剂量当量最大为3.12 μSv/h,改变屏蔽方案为5 cm钢板（机房侧）+237 cm混凝土+8 cm聚乙烯（控制室侧）后,周围剂量当量最大值为1.43 μSv/h,调整材料位置后,治疗室控制室墙外30 cm周围剂量当量率最大为3.95 μSv/h。结论 质子治疗室辐射场中,主要是中子和γ射线,中子对剂量当量的贡献占绝大部分比重。且质子治疗室辐射场中主要以高能中子和快中子为主。因此其屏蔽防护主要考虑中子防护,在屏蔽材料的选择上应充分考虑辐射场的中子能量。     

Measurement of the leakage radiation from linear accelerators in the backward direction for 4, 6, 10, 15, and 18 MV x-ray energies

The x-ray leakage from the housing of a therapy x-ray source is regulated to be <0.1% of the useful beam exposure at 1 m from the source. It is to be expected that the machine leakage in the backward direction would be less because the gantry and stand contain significant amounts of additional metal to attenuate the x rays. A reduction in head leakage in this direction will have a direct effect on the thickness of the shielding wall behind the linear accelerator. However, no reports have been published to date on measurements in this area. The x-ray leakage in the backward direction has been measured from linacs having energies of 4, 6, 10, 15, and 18 MV using a 100 cm ionization chamber and Al2O3 dosimeters. The leakage was measured at nine different positions over the rear wall using a 3 x 3 matrix with a 1-m separation between adjacent horizontal and vertical points with either the leftmost or rightmost column aligned with the target and isocenter. In general, the leakage is less than the canonical value, but the exact value depends on energy, gantry angle, and measurement position. There is significantly greater attenuation directly behind the gantry stand for all energies. Leakage at 10 MV for some positions exceeded 0.1%. Additionally, neutron leakage measurements were made for 10, 15, and 18 MV x-ray beams using track-etch detectors. The average neutron leakage was less than 0.1% except for 18 MV, where neutron leakage was more than 0.1% of the useful beam at some positions.     

Variations in skin dose using 6MV or 18MV x-ray beams

This research aimed to quantitatively evaluate the differences in percentage dose of maximum for 6MV and 18MV x-ray beams within the first 1 cm of interactions. Thus provide quantitative information regarding the basal, dermal and subcutaneous dose differences achievable with these two types of high-energy x-ray beams. Percentage dose of maximum build up curves are measured for most clinical field sizes using 6MV and 18MV x-ray beams. Calculations are performed to produce quantitative results highlighting the percentage dose of maximum differences delivered to various depths within the skin and subcutaneous tissue region by these two beams. Results have shown that basal cell layer doses are not significantly different for 6MV and 18MV x-ray beams. At depths beyond the surface and basal cell layer there is a measurable and significant difference in delivered dose. This variation increases to 20% of maximum and 22% of maximum at 1 mm and 1 cm depths respectively. The percentage variations are larger for smaller field sizes where the photon in phantom component of the delivered dose is the most significant contributor to dose. By producing graphs or tables of % dose differences in the build up region we can provide quantitative information to the oncologist for consideration (if skin and subcutaneous tissue doses are of importance) during the beam energy selection process for treatment.     

Investigation of photon beam models in heterogeneous media of modern radiotherapy

This study investigates the performance of photon beam models in dose calculations involving heterogeneous media in modern radiotherapy. Three dose calculation algorithms implemented in the CMS FOCUS treatment planning system have been assessed and validated using ionization chambers, thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and film. The algorithms include the multigrid superposition (MGS) algorithm, fast Fourier Transform Convolution (FFTC) algorithm and Clarkson algorithm. Heterogeneous phantoms used in the study consist of air cavities, lung analogue and an anthropomorphic phantom. Depth dose distributions along the central beam axis for 6 MV and 10 MV photon beams with field sizes of 5 cm x 5 cm and 10 cm x 10 cm were measured in the air cavity phantoms and lung analogue phantom. Point dose measurements were performed in the anthropomorphic phantom. Calculated results with three dose calculation algorithms were compared with measured results. In the air cavity phantoms, the maximum dose differences between the algorithms and the measurements were found at the distal surface of the air cavity with a 10 MV photon beam and a 5 cm x 5 cm field size. The differences were 3.8%. 24.9% and 27.7% for the MGS. FFTC and Clarkson algorithms. respectively. Experimental measurements of secondary electron build-up range beyond the air cavity showed an increase with decreasing field size, increasing energy and increasing air cavity thickness. The maximum dose differences in the lung analogue with 5 cm x 5 cm field size were found to be 0.3%. 4.9% and 6.9% for the MGS. FFTC and Clarkson algorithms with a 6 MV photon beam and 0.4%. 6.3% and 9.1% with a 10 MV photon beam, respectively. In the anthropomorphic phantom, the dose differences between calculations using the MGS algorithm and measurements with TLD rods were less than +/-4.5% for 6 MV and 10 MV photon beams with 10 cm x 10 cm field size and 6 MV photon beam with 5 cm x 5 cm field size, and within +/-7.5% for 10 MV with 5 cm x 5 cm field size, respectively. The FFTC and Clarkson algorithms overestimate doses at all dose points in the lung of the anthropomorphic phantom. In conclusion, the MGS is the most accurate dose calculation algorithm of investigated photon beam models. It is strongly recommended for implementation in modern radiotherapy with multiple small fields when heterogeneous media are in the treatment fields.     

医用电子加速器治疗室内非主射束X射线辐射水平的测量

用FARMER剂量仪和FJ347A X、γ剂量仪对8种型号的发射主射束X射线能量分别为4,6,8,10,15和18 MV的10台医用电子加速器治疗室内非主射束X射线辐射水平进行了测量。结果表明,在病人平面内,随等中心主射束X射线剂量率的增加和照射野的增大,非主射束X射线辐射剂量率增加;随考查点到等中心距离的增加,非主射束X射线辐射剂量率缓慢减少。可用f=4.6×10^-5F^1/2Z^-3/2关系估算辐射比。估算值与实测值符合较好,一般在30%范围内。     

Polarity effect on surface dose measurement for an attix parallel plate ionisation chamber

The effects of chamber polarity have been investigated for the measurement of 6MV and 18MV x-ray surface dose using a parallel plate ionization chamber. Results have shown that a significant difference in measured ionization is recorded between polarities at 6MV and 18MV at the phantom surface. A polarity ratio ranging from 1.062 to 1.005 is seen for 6MV x-rays at the phantom surface for field sizes 5 cm x 5 cm to 40 cm x 40 cm when comparing positive to negative polarity. These ratio's range from 1.024 to 1.004 for 18MV x-rays with the same field sizes. When these charge reading are compared to the Dmax readings of the same polarity it is found that these polarity effects are minimal for the calculation of percentage dose results with variations being less than 1% of maximum.     

Attenuation of primary and scatter radiation in concrete and steel for 18 MV X-rays from a Clinac-20 linear accelerator

With the increasing number of high-energy linear accelerators being installed in radiation-therapy facilities, an increasing need exists for carefully measured data concerning the shielding parameters of photon radiation in the energy range above 10 MeV. In this study, the 18 MV X-ray beam from a Varian Clinac 20 linear accelerator was employed. Transmission parameters were measured for the primary X-ray beam in concrete and steel. The tenth value layer for steel was 11.3 +/- 0.6 cm and for concrete 45.0 +/- 2.0 cm. Also measured were the transmission parameters for scattered radiation vs angle in concrete and steel.     

Measurement and production of electron deflection using a sweeping magnetic device in radiotherapy

The deflection and removal of high energy electrons produced by a medical linear accelerator has been attained by a Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnetic deflector device. This work was performed in an attempt to confirm the theoretical amount of electron deflection which could be produced by a magnetic field for removal of electrons from a clinical x-ray beam. This was performed by monitoring the paths of mostly monoenergetic clinical electron beams (6 MeV to 20 MeV) swept by the magnetic fields using radiographic film and comparing to first order deflection models. Results show that the measured deflection distance for 6 MeV electrons was 18 +/- 6 cm and the calculated deflection distance was 21.3 cm. For 20 MeV electrons, this value was 5 +/- 2 cm for measurement and 5.1 cm for calculation. The magnetic fields produced can thus reduce surface dose in treatment regions of a patient under irradiation by photon beams and we can predict the removal of all electron contaminations up to 6 MeV from a 6 MV photon beam with the radiation field size up to 10 x 10 cm2. The model can also estimate electron contamination still present in the treatment beam at larger field sizes.     

Linear attenuation coefficients for compensator based imrt

With rapid technological improvements in computer driven 3-D radiotherapy treatment planning systems (RTPS) the use of compensating filters for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) will dramatically increase the ease of treatment. The procedure for commissioning .decimal (Sanford, Florida) compensators involved the measurement of the effective linear attenuation coefficients for aluminium and brass. Field sizes to be measured vary from small square field size of 5 cm to the larger square field size of 25 cm with additional measurements at each 5 cm2 increments. The energies commissioned where 6 MV and 18 MV photons. The depth of measurements varied from 5 cm to 10 cm within phantom material and the source surface distance varied from 100 cm to 90 cm. The beam quality was measured by obtaining percentage depth dose (PDD) curves for the various field sizes with and without the compensating material. Results of the series of measurements showed no significant differences in the effective linear attenuation coefficients with respect to chamber depth and source surface distance with constant energy and field size. The main factor that was shown to influence the effective linear attenuation coefficient was field size variation. A correlation was shown between the effective linear attenuation coefficient and field size, up to a field size of 15 cm x 15 cm. Our results showed that for optimal patient treatments using IMRT compensating filters, there is a need for establishing two field size dependent linear attenuation coefficients.     

Radiotherapy x-ray dose distribution beyond air cavities.

Radiation oncologists are particularly concerned about tumours growing on the surface of air cavities in the head and neck regions, which involve treatment with small x-ray fields. An inhomogeneous dose distribution exists within and beyond the cavity. This is caused by the loss of electron equilibrium and the attenuation of both the primary and scattered photons is altered. The scatter function photon beam models for tissue inhomogeneity, such as the ETAR correction algorithm, currently implemented in commercial treatment planning systems do not predict the dose distribution accurately in many situations where lateral electron equilibrium does not exist. Using a Markus ionization chamber and different solid water slabs to simulate different air cavities, it is found that internal body cavities, depending upon their sizes, experience underdose or overdose on the distal surfaces of the cavities when compared with the results predicted by an ETAR correction method for 6 MV and 18 MV x-ray beams. For an infinitely long air passage of dimensions 2 cm x 2 cm, the error in the ETAR correction for a 6 MV x-ray beam is 4.8%, 0.5% and 1.1% for the field size of 5 cm x 5 cm, 7 cm x 7 cm and 10 cm x 10 cm respectively. The ETAR correction is accurate to within 1.6% for a 6 MV x-ray beam provided that the field size is 5 cm across the cavity and greater than 7 cm along it.     

Radiation quality of a tomotherapy photon fan beam

Tomotherapy, a novel radiotherapy technique, uses narrow fan beams for cancer patient treatment. Photon energy spectra for a rectangular 10 x 1 cm2 photon beam were analyzed in central axis and penumbra regions at depths of 3 to 10 cm in a water phantom. A 6 MV beam of a Varian 2100C/D Linear Accelerator was modeled using BEAM99 Monte Carlo calculations to simulate energy transport in a water phantom. Arrays of 4 x 2 mm2 scoring regions were arranged to cover the central axis and penumbra areas. Radiation quality factors were calculated based on dose-mean linear energy transfer. Although there appears to be a trend towards higher quality factor values in the penumbra area, this change is fairly small, at most 3% in penumbra region. We conclude that change in radiation quality is not likely to be an issue in a tomotherapeutic approach when 6 MV x rays are used.     

Relation between lineal energy distribution and relative biological effectiveness for photon beams according to the microdosimetric kinetic model

Our cell survival data showed the obvious dependence of RBE on photon energy: The RBE value for 200 kV X-rays was approximately 10% greater than those for mega-voltage photon beams. In radiation therapy using mega-voltage photon beams, the photon energy distribution outside the field is different with that in the radiation field because of a large number of low energy scattering photons. Hence, the RBE values outside the field become greater. To evaluate the increase in RBE, the method of deriving the RBE using the Microdosimetric Kinetic model (MK model) was proposed in this study. The MK model has two kinds of the parameters, tissue-specific parameters and the dose-mean lineal energy derived from the lineal energy distributions measured with a Tissue-Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC). The lineal energy distributions with the same geometries of the cell irradiations for 200 kV X-rays, (60)Co γ-rays, and 6 MV X-rays were obtained with the TEPC and Monte Carlo code GEANT4. The measured lineal energy distribution for 200 kV X-rays was quite different from those for mega-voltage photon beams. The dose-mean lineal energy of 200 kV X-rays showed the greatest value, 4.51 keV/μm, comparing with 2.34 and 2.36 keV/μm for (60)Co γ-rays and 6 MV X-rays, respectively. By using the results of the TEPC and cell irradiations, the tissue-specific parameters in the MK model were determined. As a result, the RBE of the photon beams (y(D): 2~5 keV/μm) in arbitrary conditions can be derived by the measurements only or the calculations only of the dose-mean lineal energy.     

Electron contamination in 4 MV and 10 MV radiotherapy x-ray beams

A thin window parallel-plate ionization chamber was constructed for dose measurement in the build-up region of high energy radiotherapy photon beams. The chamber is an integral part of a perspex block. The entrance window is 12 microns Melinex foil with a thin aluminium surface. Cavity thickness is 1.45 mm. Surface doses for varying field sizes were found to increase almost linearly with the side length of a square field. The surface dose for a 10x10 cm 4 MV photon beam is 12.1% for an open field and this increases to 14.1% with a polycarbonate block tray in the beam. Similarly for a 10 MV photon beam the surface dose is 10.6% for an open field and this increases to 12.4% with a polycarbonate block tray. The difference between the dose for an open field and a field with a polycarbonate block tray inserted becomes more significant for larger field sizes. Electron contamination depth dose curves are determined for a 4 MV and 10 MV photon beam. This is achieved by subtracting a pure photon beam build-up curve generated by an EGS4 Monte Carlo simulation from the experimental build-up curve. The EGS4 curve is a theoretical, electron contamination free curve. The electron contamination curve (of the 10 MV photon beam) has depth dose characteristics similar to that of a broad low energy electron beam.     

A simplified approach for exit dose in vivo measurements in radiotherapy and its clinical application

This is a study using LiF:Mg;Ti thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) rods in phantoms to investigate the effect of lack of backscatter on exit dose. Comparing the measured dose with anticipated dose calculated using tissue maximum ratio (TMR) or percentage depth dose (PDD) gives rise to a correction factor. This correction factor may be applied to in-vivo dosimetry results to derive true dose to a point within the patient. Measurements in a specially designed humanoid breast phantom as well as patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment were also been done. TLDs with reproducibility of within +/- 3% (1 SD) are irradiated in a series of measurements for 6 and 10 MV photon beams from a medical linear accelerator. The measured exit doses for the different phantom thickness for 6 MV beams are found to be lowered by 10.9 to 14.0% compared to the dose derived from theoretical estimation (normalized dose at dmax). The same measurements for 10 MV beams are lowered by 9.0 to 13.5%. The variations of measured exit dose for different field sizes are found to be within 2.5%. The exit doses with added backscatter material from 2 mm up to 15 cm, shows gradual increase and the saturated values agreed within 1.5% with the expected results for both beams. The measured exit doses in humanoid breast phantom as well as in the clinical trial on patients undergoing radiotherapy also agreed with the predicted results based on phantom measurements. The authors' viewpoint is that this technique provides sufficient information to design exit surface bolus to restore build down effect in cases where part of the exit surface is being considered as a target volume. It indicates that the technique could be translated for in vivo dose measurements, which may be a conspicuous step of quality assurance in clinical practice.