Monte Carlo calculation of beam quality correction factors for PTW cylindrical ionization chambers in photon beams

Monte Carlo-calculated beam quality and perturbation correction factors validated against experiments for Farmer and Markus type ionization chambers in therapeutic carbon-ion beams

Objective. In current dosimetry protocols, the estimated uncertainty of the measured absorbed dose to waterDwin carbon-ion beams is approximately 3%. This large uncertainty is mainly contributed by the standard uncertainty of the beam quality correction factorkQ. In this study, thekQvalues in four cylindrical chambers and two plane-parallel chambers were calculated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in the plateau region. The chamber-specific perturbation correction factorPof each chamber was also determined through MC simulations.Approach.kQfor each chamber was calculated using MC code Geant4. The simulatedkQratios in subjected chambers and reference chambers were validated through comparisons against our measured values. In the measurements in Heavy-Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba,kQratios were obtained fromDwvalues of60Co, 290- and 400 MeV u-1carbon-ion beams that were measured with the subjected ionization chamber and the reference chamber. In the simulations,fQ(the product of the water-to-air stopping power ratio andP) was acquired fromDwand the absorbed dose to air calculated in the sensitive volume of each chamber.kQvalues were then calculated from the simulatedfQand the literature-extractedWairand compared with previous publications.Main results. The calculatedkQratios in the subjected chambers to the reference chamber agreed well with the measuredkQratios. ThekQuncertainty was reduced from the current recommendation of approximately 3% to 1.7%. ThePvalues were close to unity in the cylindrical chambers and nearly 1% above unity in the plane-parallel chambers.Significance. ThekQvalues of carbon-ion beams were accurately calculated in MC simulations and thekQratios were validated through ionization chamber measurements. The results indicate a need for updating the current recommendations, which assume a constantPof unity in carbon-ion beams, to recommendations that consider chamber-induced differences.

Toolkit implementation to exchange phase-space files between IAEA and MCNP6 monte Carlo code format

PURPOSE

Some Monte Carlo simulation codes can read and write phase space files in IAEA format, which are used to characterize accelerators, brachytherapy seeds and other radiation sources. Moreover, as the format has been standardized, these files can be used with different simulation codes. However, MCNP6 has not still implemented this capability, which complicate the studies involving this kind of sources and the reproducibility of results among independent researchers. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to develop a tool to perform conversions between IAEA and MCNP6 phase space files formats, to be used for Monte Carlo simulations.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This paper presents a toolkit written in C language that uses the IAEA libraries to convert phase space files between IAEA and MCNP6 format and vice versa. To test the functionality of the provided tool, a set of verification tests has been carried out. In addition, a linear accelerator treatment has been simulated with the PENELOPE library using the PenEasy framework, which is already capable to read and write IAEA phase space files, and MCNP6 using the developed tools.

RESULTS

Both codes show compatible depth dose curves and profiles in a water tank, demonstrating that the conversion tools work properly. Moreover, the phase space file formats have been converted from IAEA to MCNP6 format and back again to IAEA format, reproducing the very same results.

CONCLUSION

The toolkit developed in this work offers MCNP6 scientific community an external and validated program able to convert phase space files in IAEA format to MCNP6 internal format and use them for Monte Carlo applications. Furthermore, the developed tools provide also the reverse conversion, which allow sharing MCNP6 results with users of other Monte Carlo codes. This capability in the MCNP6 ecosystem provides to the scientific community the ability not only to share radiation sources, but also to facilitate the reproducibility among different groups using different codes via the standard format specified by the IAEA.

Monte Carlo calculated beam quality correction factors for two cylindrical ionization chambers in photon beams

PURPOSE

Although several studies provide data for reference dosimetry, the SNC600c and SNC125c ionization chambers (Sun Nuclear Corporation, Melbourne, FL) are in clinical use worldwide for which no beam quality correction factors k_Q are available. The goal of this study was to calculate beam quality correction factors k_Q for these ionization chambers according to dosimetry protocols TG-51, TRS 398 and DIN 6800-2.

METHODS

Monte Carlo simulations using EGSnrc have been performed to calculate the absorbed dose to water and the dose to air within the active volume of ionization chamber models. Both spectra and simulations of beam transport through linear accelerator head models were used as radiation sources for the Monte Carlo calculations.

RESULTS

k_Q values as a function of the respective beam quality specifier Q were fitted against recommended equations for photon beam dosimetry in the range of 4 MV to 25 MV. The fitting curves through the calculated values showed a root mean square deviation between 0.0010 and 0.0017.

CONCLUSIONS

The investigated ionization chamber models (SNC600c, SNC125c) are not included in above mentioned dosimetry protocols, but are in clinical use worldwide. This study covered this knowledge gap and compared the calculated results with published k_Q values for similar ionization chambers. Agreements with published data were observed in the 95% confidence interval, confirming the use of data for similar ionization chambers, when there are no k_Q values available for a given ionization chamber.

Reference dosimetry of modulated and dynamic photon beams

In the late 1980s, a new technique was proposed that would revolutionize radiotherapy. Now referred to as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, it is at the core of state-of-the-art photon beam delivery techniques, such as helical tomotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy. Despite over two decades of clinical application, there are still no established guidelines on the calibration of dynamic modulated photon beams. In 2008, the IAEA-AAPM work group on nonstandard photon beam dosimetry published a formalism to support the development of a new generation of protocols applicable to nonstandard beam reference dosimetry (Alfonso et al 2008 Med. Phys. 35 5179-86). The recent IAEA Code of Practice TRS-483 was published as a result of this initiative and addresses exclusively small static beams. But the plan-class specific reference calibration route proposed by Alfonso et al (2008 Med. Phys. 35 5179-86) is a change of paradigm that is yet to be implemented in radiotherapy clinics. The main goals of this paper are to provide a literature review on the dosimetry of nonstandard photon beams, including dynamic deliveries, and to discuss anticipated benefits and challenges in a future implementation of the IAEA-AAPM formalism on dynamic photon beams.