Determination of surface dose and the effect of bolus to surface dose in electron beams.

When treating tumors from surface to a certain depth (<5 cm), electron beams are preferred in radiotherapy. To increase the surface doses of lower electron beams, tissue-equivalent bolus materials are often used. We observed that the surface doses increased with increasing field sizes and electron energies. At the same time, we also observed that all electron parameters were shifted toward the skin as much as the thickness of the bolus used. The effect of bolus to the surface doses was more significant at low electron energies than at higher electron energies. Rando phantom measurements at 6-, 7.5-, and 9-MeV were slightly lower than the solid phantom measurements, which could only be explained by the inverse square law effect and the Rando phantom contour irregularity.     

高能电子束不同吸收剂量测量方法的比较研究

目的 研究国际原子能机构(IAEA)第398号报告和第277号报告在电子线放射治疗剂量测定的差异。方法 采用圆柱型电离室、平行板电离室以及在用户高能电子线射线质下经过交叉校准的平行板电离室,分别依据两个报告,对医科达Precise加速器6档电子线在水中的吸收剂量进行精确测量。结果 用平行板电离室根据两个报告的测量规程测得的吸收剂量的差异为0.4%~2.3%,用圆柱型电离室测出的差异为0.6%~2.2%,用经过交叉校准的平行板电离室测出的结果是0.5%~2.0%。依据IAEA TRS-398和TRS-277报告的方法测得的吸收剂量具有较好的一致性。结论 IAEA TRS-398号报告关于电子线的校准方法较TRS-277号报告更精确,更加适用于临床用户进行测量。     

3D dose distribution calculation in a voxelized human phantom by means of Monte Carlo method

The aim of this work is to provide the reconstruction of a real human voxelized phantom by means of a MatLab^® program and the simulation of the irradiation of such phantom with the photon beam generated in a Theratron 780^® (MDS Nordion) ⁶⁰Co radiotherapy unit, by using the Monte Carlo transport code MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle), version 5. The project results in 3D dose mapping calculations inside the voxelized antropomorphic head phantom.The program provides the voxelization by first processing the CT slices; the process follows a two-dimensional pixel and material identification algorithm on each slice and three-dimensional interpolation in order to describe the phantom geometry via small cubic cells, resulting in an MCNP input deck format output. Dose rates are calculated by using the MCNP5 tool FMESH, superimposed mesh tally, which gives the track length estimation of the particle flux in units of particles/cm². Furthermore, the particle flux is converted into dose by using the conversion coefficients extracted from the NIST Physical Reference Data.The voxelization using a three-dimensional interpolation technique in combination with the use of the FMESH tool of the MCNP Monte Carlo code offers an optimal simulation which results in 3D dose mapping calculations inside anthropomorphic phantoms. This tool is very useful in radiation treatment assessments, in which voxelized phantoms are widely utilized.     

A method to obtain the same levels of CT image noise for patients of various sizes, to minimize radiation dose

The aim of this study was to develop a method of obtaining the same levels of CT image noise for patients of various sizes to minimize radiation dose. Two CT systems were evaluated regarding noise characteristics using phantoms and dosimetric measurements. Both CT systems performed well at dose levels used in normal clinical imaging, but only one was found to be suitable for low radiation dose applications. The CT system with the lowest noise level was used for further detailed studies. A simple strategy for manual selection of patient-specific scan parameters, considering patient size and required image quality, was implemented and verified on 11 volunteers. Images were obtained with at least the prescribed image quality at significantly reduced radiation dose levels compared with standard scan parameters. Depending on the diameter of the tomographic section, i.e. size of the subject, the dose levels could be reduced to 1-45% of the radiation dose with standard scan parameters (120 kV, 250 mAs, 10 mm). The results indicate a general potential for dose reduction in CT for slim patients. For tissue volume determination, large dose reductions can be achieved by adjusting the scan parameters for each individual. The concept of patient-specific scan parameters could be fully automated in the CT system design, but would require the scan to be specified in terms of image quality rather than X-ray tube load.     

A less empirical method of representing megavoltage beams for use in rapid radiotherapy dose calculations.

A large number of initial measurements are needed for accurate computation of radiotherapy dose distributions directly from stored data on the dose distribution of single radiation beams. Because of this, interest has been shown in alternative methods which use empirical formulae to represent the dose distributions of single beams. These can be easier to implement but are less directly related to measured quantities and may be of limited validity. A method of representing radiotherapy beams is proposed which closely approximates their radiation physics, in order to calculate the dose at any point by a simple algorithm directly from a small number of initial dose measurements. The method is of wide validity, probably including all megavoltage radiations for which Compton scattering is the dominant interaction in tissue. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated by application to an 8 MV linear accelerator and a cobalt 60 machine.     

A simplified method to obtain perceptibility curves for direct dental digital radiography.

OBJECTIVES: To derive and test a simplified method to construct Perceptibility Curves (PCs) for dental digital detectors. METHODS: Mathematical expressions were derived to make it possible to construct PCs from viewer data obtained at two exposures, one low and one high. PCs were constructed applying these expressions and compared with data previously obtained employing the conventional method. RESULTS: PCs constructed according to the simplified method agree extremely well with conventionally obtained data. CONCLUSIONS: Reliable PCs may be constructed according to the simplified method.     

The use of intensity-modulated radiation therapy photon beams for improving the dose uniformity of electron beams shaped with MLC

Electrons are ideal for treating shallow tumors and sparing adjacent normal tissue. Conventionally, electron beams are collimated by cut-outs that are time-consuming to make and difficult to adapt to tumor shape throughout the course of treatment. We propose that electron cut-outs can be replaced using photon multileaf collimator (MLC). Two major problems of this approach are that the scattering of electrons causes penumbra widening because of a large air gap, and available commercial treatment planning systems (TPSs) do not support MLC-collimated electron beams. In this study, these difficulties were overcome by (1) modeling electron beams collimated by photon MLC for a commercial TPS, and (2) developing a technique to reduce electron beam penumbra by adding low-energy intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) photons (4 MV). We used blocks to simulate MLC shielding in the TPS. Inverse planning was used to optimize boost photon beams. This technique was applied to a parotid and a central nervous system (CNS) clinical case. Combined photon and electron plans were compared with conventional plans and verified using ion chamber, film, and a 2D diode array. Our studies showed that the beam penumbra for mixed beams with 90 cm source to surface distance (SSD) is comparable with electron applicators and cut-outs at 100 cm SSD. Our mixed-beam technique yielded more uniform dose to the planning target volume and lower doses to various organs at risk for both parotid and CNS clinical cases. The plans were verified with measurements, with more than 95% points passing the gamma criteria of 5% in dose difference and 5 mm for distance to agreement. In conclusion, the study has demonstrated the feasibility and potential advantage of using photon MLC to collimate electron beams with boost photon IMRT fields.     

A method for rapid determination of the energy of electron beams from medical linear accelerators

A method has been developed using a Varian Clinac-18 LINAC for the rapid determination of electron beam energy for clinically used linear accelerators. The method involves measuring the ionization values in a water or polystyrene phantom with an ion chamber at two predetermined depths. Then with predetermined Bremsstrahlung "tail" values which are presented here or which can be developed by the user, the practical range, Rp can be measured. With the Rp, the effective surface energy Eo of the electron beam can be determined by the Markus range-energy formula. Thus, by measuring just two depth ionization values, one is quickly able to determine the Eo of an electron beam without plotting a full depth ionization curve.     

A new technique for the calculation of scattered radiation from 60Co-teletherapy beams.

An alternative to the Clarkson technique for calculating total scattered radiation is presented. Resultant TAR values are compared with those obtained by the Clarkson technique for the same field. The new scatter technique is always more than 2.8 times faster than the Clarkson technique and more than 4 times faster on a large number of fields. The new approach appears to offer a simple and expedient alternative to the more traditional methods for iiregular field dose calculations.     

Improvement of dose calculation accuracy for BNCT dosimetry by the multi-voxel method in JCDS.

To carry out boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) clinical trials based on accurate dosimetry of several dose components given to a patient, we had developed the JAERI computational dosimetry system (JCDS), which can determine the absorbed doses by numerical simulation. The verification results of initial version of JCDS indicated that JCDS causes characteristic discrepancy, when JCDS estimates a sharp change arising such as near the surface. The aim of this study is to improve the accuracy of the BNCT dosimetry efficiently. The multi-voxel calculation method that reconstructs the original voxel model by combining several voxel cell sizes such as 0.125, 1 and 8 cm(3) has been developed. To verify the accuracy of the method, the calculation results were compared with the phantom experimental data. Furthermore, to verify its practicality to BNCT, retrospective evaluation of an actual BNCT in JRR-4 was performed by the multi-voxel method. The results of the comparison with the phantom experiments demonstrated that the calculation accuracy for the distributions of the thermal neutron flux was improved by employing the multi-voxel method. The computing time using the multi-voxel method increased only approximately 33% compared to the conventional uniform 1cm(3) voxel method. These results proved that the multi-voxel calculation enables JCDS to more accurately estimate the absorbed doses to a patient by efficient calculations.     

A hybrid method to compute accurate efficiencies for volume samples in gamma-ray spectrometry.

In recent years, Monte Carlo (MC) methods have been increasingly applied to cope with variability in photopeak efficiencies due to matrix effects. But to obtain proper results only by numerical simulation, especially at low energies, sample bulk density and chemical composition must be well characterized. In this paper, we propose a method that combines both experimental measurements and MC simulations, being applicable to matrices of unknown composition. A transmission measurement of a 210Pb point source through the sample allows one to compute accurately its photopeak efficiencies at energies above 46.5 keV. The method is validated for several inorganic and organic matrices measured in Petri dishes geometry.     

Dose calculation for very small irregular electron beam fields. 1. Dose calculation for the central beam using a simple field zone method

Very small electron beams show considerable reduction of the dose output factor, the therapeutically relevant range, the practical range and the therapeutically relevant field size, compared to broad beams. The first three effects were measured on the central beam axis for different quadratic field sizes and are presented in the first part of this publication. A simple field zone method for calculation of irregular shaped electron beams was developed from the different depth dose curves. The method allows the determination of the maximum dose and the 80% range with sufficient accuracy for practical purposes. The examination of the reduction of the therapeutically relevant field size and the consequences following thereof with respect to the adequate electron therapy of a small irregular target volume will be published in a second part.     

Mass scaling of S values for blood-based estimation of red marrow absorbed dose: the quest for an appropriate method.

As a first step in performing patient-specific absorbed dose calculations, it may be necessary to scale dose conversion factors (e.g., S values in the MIRD system or dose factors in the RADAR system) by patient organ mass. The absorbed dose to active marrow is of particular interest for radionuclide therapy. When using the blood-based model of red marrow (RM) absorbed dose estimation, there are only 2 S values of concern, representing RM self-dose and cross-dose terms. Linear mass scaling has generally been performed for the self-dose term, whereas the cross-dose term is considered to be mass independent. We will illustrate that each radionuclide may need to have its mass-based correction determined to assess whether the conventionally used linear mass scaling is appropriate and should be applied not only to the self-dose S value but also to the cross-dose term.     

A 3-dimensional absorbed dose calculation method based on quantitative SPECT for radionuclide therapy: evaluation for (131)I using monte carlo simulation.

A general method is presented for patient-specific 3-dimensional absorbed dose calculations based on quantitative SPECT activity measurements. METHODS: The computational scheme includes a method for registration of the CT image to the SPECT image and position-dependent compensation for attenuation, scatter, and collimator detector response performed as part of an iterative reconstruction method. A method for conversion of the measured activity distribution to a 3-dimensional absorbed dose distribution, based on the EGS4 (electron-gamma shower, version 4) Monte Carlo code, is also included. The accuracy of the activity quantification and the absorbed dose calculation is evaluated on the basis of realistic Monte Carlo-simulated SPECT data, using the SIMIND (simulation of imaging nuclear detectors) program and a voxel-based computer phantom. CT images are obtained from the computer phantom, and realistic patient movements are added relative to the SPECT image. The SPECT-based activity concentration and absorbed dose distributions are compared with the true ones. RESULTS: Correction could be made for object scatter, photon attenuation, and scatter penetration in the collimator. However, inaccuracies were imposed by the limited spatial resolution of the SPECT system, for which the collimator response correction did not fully compensate. CONCLUSION: The presented method includes compensation for most parameters degrading the quantitative image information. The compensation methods are based on physical models and therefore are generally applicable to other radionuclides. The proposed evaluation methodology may be used as a basis for future intercomparison of different methods.     

A new approach for the calculation of critical organ dose in nuclear medicine applications.

The geometrical factor that is calculated to keep in mind the radiation source and detector position is rather frequently used in radiation measuring and calculating methods. In this study, using the geometrical factor is intended to suggest a new model to measure the absorbed dose in nuclear medicine applications. Therefore, the source and target organ's geometries are accepted to be disc and parallel to each other. In this manner, a mathematical model for the geometry of these discs is proposed and a disc-disc geometry factor is calculated. Theoretical calculations have been carried out with the MIRD (medical internal absorbed dose) method, which is widely used to the absorbed dose calculations in nuclear medicine. Absorbed radiation dose is separately calculated for a target organ, which is the testis, with disc-disc geometry factor model and MIRD model. Both the results are compared and the results of disc-disc geometry factor model are shown to be harmonious and acceptable with the results of MIRD model.