Universal evaluation of MLC models in treatment planning systems based on a common set of dynamic tests

Reference standards; Commission on professional and hospital activities; Radiotherapy, Intensity-ModulatedEstándares de referencia; Comisión sobre actividades profesionales y hospitalarias; Radioterapia de intensidad moduladaEstàndards de referència; Comissió sobre activitats professionals i hospitalàries; Radioteràpia d'intensitat moduladaPurpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of characterising MLCs and MLC models implemented in TPSs using a common set of dynamic beams. Materials and methods: A set of tests containing synchronous (SG) and asynchronous sweeping gaps (aSG) was distributed among twenty-five participating centres. Doses were measured with a Farmer-type ion chamber and computed in TPSs, which provided a dosimetric characterisation of the leaf tip, tongue-and-groove, and MLC transmission of each MLC, as well as an assessment of the MLC model in each TPS. Five MLC types and four TPSs were evaluated, covering the most frequent combinations used in radiotherapy departments. Results: Measured differences within each MLC type were minimal, while large differences were found between MLC models implemented in clinical TPSs. This resulted in some concerning discrepancies, especially for the HD120 and Agility MLCs, for which differences between measured and calculated doses for some MLC-TPS combinations exceeded 10%. These large differences were particularly evident for small gap sizes (5 and 10 mm), as well as for larger gaps in the presence of tongue-and-groove effects. A much better agreement was found for the Millennium120 and Halcyon MLCs, differences being within ± 5% and ± 2.5%, respectively. Conclusions: The feasibility of using a common set of tests to assess MLC models in TPSs was demonstrated. Measurements within MLC types were very similar, but TPS dose calculations showed large variations. Standardisation of the MLC configuration in TPSs is necessary. The proposed procedure can be readily applied in radiotherapy departments and can be a valuable tool in IMRT and credentialing audits

A survey of methods to calculate monitor settings

PURPOSE: The results of a survey of how radiation oncology institutions calculate the monitor setting (or time) to deliver the prescribed dose in a photon-beam treatment are presented. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The participants in the mail survey were 94 institutions in the Pediatric Oncology Group. They were asked to calculate for a hypothetical clinical case requiring the use of photon beams with corner blocks. A questionnaire was also distributed to gather supplemental information. RESULTS: Of the 94 institutions whose responses were analyzed, 77% selected an isocentric setup while the others used a fixed-SSD approach. The proportions were reversed for the choice of the reference geometry and the majority of the participants set one monitor unit equal to 1 cGy at depth of electron equilibrium with isocenter placed at the surface. The tissue-maximum ratio was the most popular quantity for description of beam characteristics, but several other choices were common. Different names were sometimes used for the same concept. CONCLUSION: The variation among institutions made the review time-consuming, but no serious systematic errors were detected. Some standardization of nomenclature and techniques may be desirable

Definition of vaginal doses in intrauterine high-dose-rate brachytherapy

PubMed ID: 15374542The aim of this study was to evaluate dosimetric aspects of high-dose-rate (HDR) intrauterine brachytherapy applications and to discuss a possible definition of vaginal points for dose reporting.HDR brachytherapy was performed using a "Fletcher-like" applicator. Doses to the vaginal mucosa were assessed using 2 sets of points for each ovoid. Fifty treated patients were chosen for the analysis. Repeatability and reproducibility were analyzed. Total doses for the whole treatment at the vaginal points were calculated for each patient. The average dose for both ovoids was determined and the ratio of this dose to the dose at point "A" was calculated. The correlation between delivered doses and vaginal complications was tested statistically.Repeatability and reproducibility were found to be less than 1% compared with patient-to-patient variations (> 99%) for all points. The number of fractions and the number of patients in which the middle ovoid point was "representative" were calculated for the lateral and upper surfaces, respectively. The calculated vaginal-average to point "A" dose ratio was found to be 175% and 130% for the 20 and 25 mm ovoids, respectively. A correlation between delivered doses and the rate of complications was not found.The proposed method has been validated and allows calculations of vaginal doses. The vaginal-to-point "A" dose ratios allow a fast estimation of the vaginal dose for 20 and 25mm ovoids. The doses delivered to our patients were below vaginal tolerance. © 2004 American Brachytherapy Society. All rights reserved

Auger Spectra and Band Structure of La_1.85Sr_0.15CuO₄ and La_1.85Ba_0.15CuO₄

High-resolution Auger electron spectra of La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 and La1.85Ba0.15CuO4 have been measured. The experimental Auger line shapes of the oxygen KLL and copper L2,3VV transitions are compared with those generated from local-density-approximation linear-muffin-tin-orbital band-structure calculations. An analysis based on this comparison is used to determine the Coulomb parameters Up and Ud of the oxygen and copper atoms, respectively. For this purpose, an extended version of Cini and Sawatzky’s expression for the theoretical Auger line shape is used, taking into account the multiplet structure of the Auger final states and the point symmetry of the oxygen sites. We find Up of approximately 5 and 7 eV for the planar and apical oxygen sites, respectively, and Ud of 7–8 eV for copper. An estimate of the effect of electron correlations on the band structure suggests a decrease of the anisotropy found in Up.</p