Evaluation of Uncertainty-Based Stopping Criteria for Monte Carlo Calculations of Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy and Arc Therapy Patient Dose Distributions
- Department of Medical Physics, Ghent University, Gent (Belgium)
- Department of Radiotherapy, Ghent University Hospital, Gent (Belgium)
- Department of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, University of Seville and Virgen Macarena Hospital, Sevilla (Spain)
Purpose: To formulate uncertainty-based stopping criteria for Monte Carlo (MC) calculations of intensity-modulated radiotherapy and intensity-modulated arc therapy patient dose distributions and evaluate their influence on MC simulation times and dose characteristics. Methods and Materials: For each structure of interest, stopping criteria were formulated as follows: {sigma}{sub rel} {<=}{sigma}{sub rel,tol} or D{sigma}{sub rel} {<=}D{sub lim}{sigma}{sub rel,tol} within {>=}95% of the voxels, where {sigma}{sub rel} represents the relative statistical uncertainty on the estimated dose, D. The tolerated uncertainty ({sigma}{sub rel,tol}) was 2%. The dose limit (D{sub lim}) equaled the planning target volume (PTV) prescription dose or a dose value related to the organ at risk (OAR) planning constraints. An intensity-modulated radiotherapy-lung, intensity-modulated radiotherapy-ethmoid sinus, and intensity-modulated arc therapy-rectum patient case were studied. The PTV-stopping criteria-based calculations were compared with the PTV+OAR-stopping criteria-based calculations. Results: The MC dose distributions complied with the PTV-stopping criteria after 14% (lung), 21% (ethmoid), and 12% (rectum) of the simulation times of a 100 million histories reference calculation, and increased to 29%, 44%, and 51%, respectively, by the addition of the OAR-stopping criteria. Dose-volume histograms corresponding to the PTV-stopping criteria, PTV+OAR-stopping criteria, and reference dose calculations were indiscernible. The median local dose differences between the PTV-stopping criteria and the reference calculations amounted to 1.4% (lung), 2.1% (ethmoid), and 2.5% (rectum). Conclusions: For the patient cases studied, the MC calculations using PTV-stopping criteria only allowed accurate treatment plan evaluation. The proposed stopping criteria provided a flexible tool to assist MC patient dose calculations. The structures of interest and appropriate values of {sigma}{sub rel,tol} and D{sub lim} should be selected for each patient individually according to the clinical treatment planning goals.
- OSTI ID:
- 21036269
- Journal Information:
- International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Vol. 69, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.06.036; PII: S0360-3016(07)01156-X; Copyright (c) 2007 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0360-3016
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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