Transversal dose profile reconstruction for clinical proton beams: A detectors inter-comparison

Phys Med. 2020 Feb:70:133-138. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2020.01.006. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

Abstract

Purpose: The main purpose of this work is the inter-comparison between different devices devoted to the transversal dose profile recostruction for daily QA tests in proton therapy.

Methods: The results obtained with the EBT3 radiochromic films, used as a reference, and other common quality control devices, have been compared with those obtained with a beam profiling system developed at the "Laboratori Nazionali del Sud" of Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN-LNS, Catania, Italy). It consists of a plastic scintillator screen (thickness 1 mm), mounted perpendicularly to the beam axis and coupled with a highly sensitive CCD detector in a light-tight box.

Results and conclusion: The tests, carried out both at the INFN-LNS and Trento Proton Therapy Center facilities, show, in general, a good agreement between the different detectors. The beam profiling system, in particular, appears to be a promising quality control device for 2-D relative dosimetry, because of its linear response in a dose rate range useful for proton therapy treatments, its high spatial resolution and its short acquisition and processing time.

Keywords: Plastic scintillator; Proton beam; QA in radiotherapy; Relative dosimetry.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Calibration
  • Equipment Design
  • Humans
  • Phantoms, Imaging
  • Plastics / chemistry
  • Proton Therapy / instrumentation*
  • Protons*
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care
  • Radiometry / instrumentation*
  • Radiotherapy Dosage
  • Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / methods
  • Scintillation Counting / instrumentation*
  • Therapy, Computer-Assisted / methods

Substances

  • Plastics
  • Protons