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Title: Enhancements to commissioning techniques and quality assurance of brachytherapy treatment planning systems that use model-based dose calculation algorithms

Abstract

The current standard for brachytherapy dose calculations is based on the AAPM TG-43 formalism. Simplifications used in the TG-43 formalism have been challenged by many publications over the past decade. With the continuous increase in computing power, approaches based on fundamental physics processes or physics models such as the linear-Boltzmann transport equation are now applicable in a clinical setting. Thus, model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs) have been introduced to address TG-43 limitations for brachytherapy. The MBDCA approach results in a paradigm shift, which will require a concerted effort to integrate them properly into the radiation therapy community. MBDCA will improve treatment planning relative to the implementation of the traditional TG-43 formalism by accounting for individualized, patient-specific radiation scatter conditions, and the radiological effect of material heterogeneities differing from water. A snapshot of the current status of MBDCA and AAPM Task Group reports related to the subject of QA recommendations for brachytherapy treatment planning is presented. Some simplified Monte Carlo simulation results are also presented to delineate the effects MBDCA are called to account for and facilitate the discussion on suggestions for (i) new QA standards to augment current societal recommendations, (ii) consideration of dose specification such as dose to mediummore » in medium, collisional kerma to medium in medium, or collisional kerma to water in medium, and (iii) infrastructure needed to uniformly introduce these new algorithms. Suggestions in this Vision 20/20 article may serve as a basis for developing future standards to be recommended by professional societies such as the AAPM, ESTRO, and ABS toward providing consistent clinical implementation throughout the brachytherapy community and rigorous quality management of MBDCA-based treatment planning systems.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Département de Radio-Oncologie et Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de l’Université Laval, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, Québec G1R 2J6, Canada and Département de Physique, de Génie Physique et d’Optique, Université Laval, Québec, Québec G1R 2J6 (Canada)
  2. Department of Radiation Physics and Department of Experimental Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22620823
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 37; Journal Issue: 6; Other Information: (c) 2010 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:
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; ALGORITHMS; BOLTZMANN EQUATION; BRACHYTHERAPY; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; KERMA; MONTE CARLO METHOD; PATIENTS; PLANNING; QUALITY ASSURANCE; RECOMMENDATIONS

Citation Formats

Rivard, Mark J., E-mail: mrivard@tuftsmedicalcenter.org, Beaulieu, Luc, and Mourtada, Firas. Enhancements to commissioning techniques and quality assurance of brachytherapy treatment planning systems that use model-based dose calculation algorithms. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1118/1.3429131.
Rivard, Mark J., E-mail: mrivard@tuftsmedicalcenter.org, Beaulieu, Luc, & Mourtada, Firas. Enhancements to commissioning techniques and quality assurance of brachytherapy treatment planning systems that use model-based dose calculation algorithms. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.3429131
Rivard, Mark J., E-mail: mrivard@tuftsmedicalcenter.org, Beaulieu, Luc, and Mourtada, Firas. 2010. "Enhancements to commissioning techniques and quality assurance of brachytherapy treatment planning systems that use model-based dose calculation algorithms". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.3429131.
@article{osti_22620823,
title = {Enhancements to commissioning techniques and quality assurance of brachytherapy treatment planning systems that use model-based dose calculation algorithms},
author = {Rivard, Mark J., E-mail: mrivard@tuftsmedicalcenter.org and Beaulieu, Luc and Mourtada, Firas},
abstractNote = {The current standard for brachytherapy dose calculations is based on the AAPM TG-43 formalism. Simplifications used in the TG-43 formalism have been challenged by many publications over the past decade. With the continuous increase in computing power, approaches based on fundamental physics processes or physics models such as the linear-Boltzmann transport equation are now applicable in a clinical setting. Thus, model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs) have been introduced to address TG-43 limitations for brachytherapy. The MBDCA approach results in a paradigm shift, which will require a concerted effort to integrate them properly into the radiation therapy community. MBDCA will improve treatment planning relative to the implementation of the traditional TG-43 formalism by accounting for individualized, patient-specific radiation scatter conditions, and the radiological effect of material heterogeneities differing from water. A snapshot of the current status of MBDCA and AAPM Task Group reports related to the subject of QA recommendations for brachytherapy treatment planning is presented. Some simplified Monte Carlo simulation results are also presented to delineate the effects MBDCA are called to account for and facilitate the discussion on suggestions for (i) new QA standards to augment current societal recommendations, (ii) consideration of dose specification such as dose to medium in medium, collisional kerma to medium in medium, or collisional kerma to water in medium, and (iii) infrastructure needed to uniformly introduce these new algorithms. Suggestions in this Vision 20/20 article may serve as a basis for developing future standards to be recommended by professional societies such as the AAPM, ESTRO, and ABS toward providing consistent clinical implementation throughout the brachytherapy community and rigorous quality management of MBDCA-based treatment planning systems.},
doi = {10.1118/1.3429131},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22620823}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 6,
volume = 37,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Tue Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}