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Title: Modeling skin collimation using the electron pencil beam redefinition algorithm

Abstract

Skin collimation is an important tool for electron beam therapy that is used to minimize the penumbra when treating near critical structures, at extended treatment distances, with bolus, or using arc therapy. It is usually made of lead or lead alloy material that conforms to and is placed on patient surface. Presently, commercially available treatment-planning systems lack the ability to model skin collimation and to accurately calculate dose in its presence. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the use of the pencil beam redefinition algorithm (PBRA) in calculating dose in the presence of skin collimation. Skin collimation was incorporated into the PBRA by terminating the transport of electrons once they enter the skin collimator. Both fixed- and arced-beam dose calculations for arced-beam geometries were evaluated by comparing them with measured dose distributions for 10- and 15-MeV beams. Fixed-beam dose distributions were measured in water at 88-cm source-to-surface distance with an air gap of 32 cm. The 6x20-cm{sup 2} field (dimensions projected to isocenter) had a 10-mm thick lead collimator placed on the surface of the water with its edge 5 cm inside the field's edge located at +10 cm. Arced-beam dose distributions were measured in a 13.5-cmmore » radius polystyrene circular phantom. The beam was arced 90 deg. (-45 deg. to +45 deg. ), and 10-mm thick lead collimation was placed at {+-}30 deg. . For the fixed beam at 10 MeV, the PBRA-calculated dose agreed with measured dose to within 2.0-mm distance to agreement (DTA) in the regions of high-dose gradient and 2.0% in regions of low dose gradient. At 15 MeV, the PBRA agreed to within a 2.0-mm DTA in the regions of high-dose gradient; however, the PBRA underestimated the dose by as much as 5.3% over small regions at depths less than 2 cm because it did not model electrons scattered from the edge of the skin collimation. For arced beams at 10 MeV, the agreement was 1-mm DTA in the high-dose gradient regions, and 2% in the low-dose gradient regions. For arced beams at 15 MeV, the agreement was 1 mm in the high-dose gradient regions, and in the low-dose gradient region at depth less than 2 cm, as much as 5% dose difference was observed. This study demonstrated the ease with which skin collimation can be incorporated into the PBRA. The good agreement of PBRA calculated with measured dose shows that the PBRA is likely sufficiently accurate for clinical use in the presence of skin collimation for electron arc therapy. To further improve the accuracy of the PBRA in regions having significant electrons scattered from the edge of the skin collimation would require transporting the electrons through the lead skin collimation near its edges.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Radiation Physics, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States) and Medical Physics Program, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
20726904
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 32; Journal Issue: 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1118/1.2064808; (c) 2005 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; ACCURACY; ALGORITHMS; COLLIMATORS; DIFFERENTIAL THERMAL ANALYSIS; DOSIMETRY; ELECTRON BEAMS; LEAD ALLOYS; PHANTOMS; PLANNING; POLYSTYRENE; RADIATION DOSE DISTRIBUTIONS; RADIATION DOSES; RADIOTHERAPY; SIMULATION; SKIN

Citation Formats

Chi, Pai-Chun M, Hogstrom, Kenneth R, Starkschall, George, Antolak, John A, and Boyd, Robert A. Modeling skin collimation using the electron pencil beam redefinition algorithm. United States: N. p., 2005. Web. doi:10.1118/1.2064808.
Chi, Pai-Chun M, Hogstrom, Kenneth R, Starkschall, George, Antolak, John A, & Boyd, Robert A. Modeling skin collimation using the electron pencil beam redefinition algorithm. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.2064808
Chi, Pai-Chun M, Hogstrom, Kenneth R, Starkschall, George, Antolak, John A, and Boyd, Robert A. 2005. "Modeling skin collimation using the electron pencil beam redefinition algorithm". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.2064808.
@article{osti_20726904,
title = {Modeling skin collimation using the electron pencil beam redefinition algorithm},
author = {Chi, Pai-Chun M and Hogstrom, Kenneth R and Starkschall, George and Antolak, John A and Boyd, Robert A},
abstractNote = {Skin collimation is an important tool for electron beam therapy that is used to minimize the penumbra when treating near critical structures, at extended treatment distances, with bolus, or using arc therapy. It is usually made of lead or lead alloy material that conforms to and is placed on patient surface. Presently, commercially available treatment-planning systems lack the ability to model skin collimation and to accurately calculate dose in its presence. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the use of the pencil beam redefinition algorithm (PBRA) in calculating dose in the presence of skin collimation. Skin collimation was incorporated into the PBRA by terminating the transport of electrons once they enter the skin collimator. Both fixed- and arced-beam dose calculations for arced-beam geometries were evaluated by comparing them with measured dose distributions for 10- and 15-MeV beams. Fixed-beam dose distributions were measured in water at 88-cm source-to-surface distance with an air gap of 32 cm. The 6x20-cm{sup 2} field (dimensions projected to isocenter) had a 10-mm thick lead collimator placed on the surface of the water with its edge 5 cm inside the field's edge located at +10 cm. Arced-beam dose distributions were measured in a 13.5-cm radius polystyrene circular phantom. The beam was arced 90 deg. (-45 deg. to +45 deg. ), and 10-mm thick lead collimation was placed at {+-}30 deg. . For the fixed beam at 10 MeV, the PBRA-calculated dose agreed with measured dose to within 2.0-mm distance to agreement (DTA) in the regions of high-dose gradient and 2.0% in regions of low dose gradient. At 15 MeV, the PBRA agreed to within a 2.0-mm DTA in the regions of high-dose gradient; however, the PBRA underestimated the dose by as much as 5.3% over small regions at depths less than 2 cm because it did not model electrons scattered from the edge of the skin collimation. For arced beams at 10 MeV, the agreement was 1-mm DTA in the high-dose gradient regions, and 2% in the low-dose gradient regions. For arced beams at 15 MeV, the agreement was 1 mm in the high-dose gradient regions, and in the low-dose gradient region at depth less than 2 cm, as much as 5% dose difference was observed. This study demonstrated the ease with which skin collimation can be incorporated into the PBRA. The good agreement of PBRA calculated with measured dose shows that the PBRA is likely sufficiently accurate for clinical use in the presence of skin collimation for electron arc therapy. To further improve the accuracy of the PBRA in regions having significant electrons scattered from the edge of the skin collimation would require transporting the electrons through the lead skin collimation near its edges.},
doi = {10.1118/1.2064808},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/20726904}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 11,
volume = 32,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2005},
month = {Tue Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 2005}
}