The value of radiographic film for the characterization of intensity-modulated beams

In this paper the performance of radiographic film (KODAK X-Omat V) for analysing intensity-modulated (IM) beams in a plane at reference depth (5 cm for 6 MV, 10 cm for 18 MV) was investigated. The field size dependence of the film response was studied for small and medium field sizes. The dose rate dependence of the response and possible effects of fractionating the dose were assessed. In the end, profiles were measured for two clinically delivered IM beams, and the results were compared with diamond detector data. We found that the response of the radiographic film increases with field size, but for field sizes up to 15 x 15 cm the deviations remain within 3% for measurements with the films in a plane at reference depth. We found that the response of the films decreases with decreasing dose rate, and that the extent of this effect differs from film batch to film batch. For clinical IM beams the effect can amount to about 9% at the location of shielded organs at risk. Also, fractionating the dose reduces the net optical density, but this effect is normally small when assessing IM beams. In low-dose regions low-energy photons have an important contribution, resulting in a higher response at these positions. This may counteract the dose rate dependence of the response. In the high-dose regions of the two IM beams that were studied, the relative dose measurements with film are within 1% of those obtained with a diamond detector, when the results of three films are averaged. In shielded organs at risk the deviations can mount to about 3%, depending on the film batch. In conclusion, radiographic film is a suitable detector for characterizing IM beams in a plane at reference depth.