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Biglin ER, Aitkenhead AH, Price GJ, Chadwick AL, Santina E, Williams KJ, Kirkby KJ. A preclinical radiotherapy dosimetry audit using a realistic 3D printed murine phantom. Sci Rep 2022; 12:6826. [PMID: 35474242 PMCID: PMC9042835 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-10895-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Preclinical radiation research lacks standardized dosimetry procedures that provide traceability to a primary standard. Consequently, ensuring accuracy and reproducibility between studies is challenging. Using 3D printed murine phantoms we undertook a dosimetry audit of Xstrahl Small Animal Radiation Research Platforms (SARRPs) installed at 7 UK centres. The geometrically realistic phantom accommodated alanine pellets and Gafchromic EBT3 film for simultaneous measurement of the dose delivered and the dose distribution within a 2D plane, respectively. Two irradiation scenarios were developed: (1) a 10 × 10 mm2 static field targeting the pelvis, and (2) a 5 × 5 mm2 90° arc targeting the brain. For static fields, the absolute difference between the planned dose and alanine measurement across all centres was 4.1 ± 4.3% (mean ± standard deviation), with an overall range of - 2.3 to 10.5%. For arc fields, the difference was - 1.2% ± 6.1%, with a range of - 13.1 to 7.7%. EBT3 dose measurements were greater than alanine by 2.0 ± 2.5% and 3.5 ± 6.0% (mean ± standard deviation) for the static and arc fields, respectively. 2D dose distributions showed discrepancies to the planned dose at the field edges. The audit demonstrates that further work on preclinical radiotherapy quality assurance processes is merited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma R Biglin
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 3rd floor Proton Beam Therapy Centre, Oak Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK.
| | - Adam H Aitkenhead
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 3rd floor Proton Beam Therapy Centre, Oak Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
- Christie Medical Physics and Engineering, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Gareth J Price
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 3rd floor Proton Beam Therapy Centre, Oak Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Amy L Chadwick
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 3rd floor Proton Beam Therapy Centre, Oak Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Elham Santina
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 3rd floor Proton Beam Therapy Centre, Oak Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Kaye J Williams
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Karen J Kirkby
- Division of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, 3rd floor Proton Beam Therapy Centre, Oak Road, Manchester, M20 4BX, UK
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
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Smyth G, Evans PM, Bamber JC, Mandeville HC, Rollo Moore A, Welsh LC, Saran FH, Bedford JL. Dosimetric accuracy of dynamic couch rotation during volumetric modulated arc therapy (DCR-VMAT) for primary brain tumours. Phys Med Biol 2019; 64:08NT01. [PMID: 30808011 PMCID: PMC6877349 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ab0a8e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Radiotherapy treatment plans using dynamic couch rotation during volumetric modulated arc therapy (DCR-VMAT) reduce the dose to organs at risk (OARs) compared to coplanar VMAT, while maintaining the dose to the planning target volume (PTV). This paper seeks to validate this finding with measurements. DCR-VMAT treatment plans were produced for five patients with primary brain tumours and delivered using a commercial linear accelerator (linac). Dosimetric accuracy was assessed using point dose and radiochromic film measurements. Linac-recorded mechanical errors were assessed by extracting deviations from log files for multi-leaf collimator (MLC), couch, and gantry positions every 20 ms. Dose distributions, reconstructed from every fifth log file sample, were calculated and used to determine deviations from the treatment plans. Median (range) treatment delivery times were 125 s (123-133 s) for DCR-VMAT, compared to 78 s (64-130 s) for coplanar VMAT. Absolute point doses were 0.8% (0.6%-1.7%) higher than prediction. For coronal and sagittal films, respectively, 99.2% (96.7%-100%) and 98.1% (92.9%-99.0%) of pixels above a 20% low dose threshold reported gamma <1 for 3% and 3 mm criteria. Log file analysis showed similar gantry rotation root-mean-square error (RMSE) for VMAT and DCR-VMAT. Couch rotation RMSE for DCR-VMAT was 0.091° (0.086-0.102°). For delivered dose reconstructions, 100% of pixels above a 5% low dose threshold reported gamma <1 for 2% and 2 mm criteria in all cases. DCR-VMAT, for the primary brain tumour cases studied, can be delivered accurately using a commercial linac.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Smyth
- Joint Department of Physics at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom. Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed
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Pasler M, Hernandez V, Jornet N, Clark CH. Novel methodologies for dosimetry audits: Adapting to advanced radiotherapy techniques. Phys Imaging Radiat Oncol 2018; 5:76-84. [PMID: 33458373 PMCID: PMC7807589 DOI: 10.1016/j.phro.2018.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
With new radiotherapy techniques, treatment delivery is becoming more complex and accordingly, these treatment techniques require dosimetry audits to test advanced aspects of the delivery to ensure best practice and safe patient treatment. This review of novel methodologies for dosimetry audits for advanced radiotherapy techniques includes recent developments and future techniques to be applied in dosimetry audits. Phantom-based methods (i.e. phantom-detector combinations) including independent audit equipment and local measurement equipment as well as phantom-less methods (i.e. portal dosimetry, transmission detectors and log files) are presented and discussed. Methodologies for both conventional linear accelerator (linacs) and new types of delivery units, i.e. Tomotherapy, stereotactic devices and MR-linacs, are reviewed. Novel dosimetry audit techniques such as portal dosimetry or log file evaluation have the potential to allow parallel auditing (i.e. performing an audit at multiple institutions at the same time), automation of data analysis and evaluation of multiple steps of the radiotherapy treatment chain. These methods could also significantly reduce the time needed for audit and increase the information gained. However, to maximise the potential, further development and harmonisation of dosimetry audit techniques are required before these novel methodologies can be applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlies Pasler
- Lake Constance Radiation Oncology Center Singen-Friedrichshafen, Germany
| | - Victor Hernandez
- Department of Medical Physics, Hospital Sant Joan de Reus, IISPV, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Núria Jornet
- Servei de RadiofísicaiRadioprotecció, Hospital de la Santa CreuiSant Pau, Spain
| | - Catharine H. Clark
- Department of Medical Physics, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, Surrey, UK
- Metrology for Medical Physics (MEMPHYS), National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex, UK
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3D VMAT Verification Based on Monte Carlo Log File Simulation with Experimental Feedback from Film Dosimetry. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0166767. [PMID: 27870878 PMCID: PMC5117721 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A model based on a specific phantom, called QuAArC, has been designed for the evaluation of planning and verification systems of complex radiotherapy treatments, such as volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). This model uses the high accuracy provided by the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of log files and allows the experimental feedback from the high spatial resolution of films hosted in QuAArC. This cylindrical phantom was specifically designed to host films rolled at different radial distances able to take into account the entrance fluence and the 3D dose distribution. Ionization chamber measurements are also included in the feedback process for absolute dose considerations. In this way, automated MC simulation of treatment log files is implemented to calculate the actual delivery geometries, while the monitor units are experimentally adjusted to reconstruct the dose-volume histogram (DVH) on the patient CT. Prostate and head and neck clinical cases, previously planned with Monaco and Pinnacle treatment planning systems and verified with two different commercial systems (Delta4 and COMPASS), were selected in order to test operational feasibility of the proposed model. The proper operation of the feedback procedure was proved through the achieved high agreement between reconstructed dose distributions and the film measurements (global gamma passing rates > 90% for the 2%/2 mm criteria). The necessary discretization level of the log file for dose calculation and the potential mismatching between calculated control points and detection grid in the verification process were discussed. Besides the effect of dose calculation accuracy of the analytic algorithm implemented in treatment planning systems for a dynamic technique, it was discussed the importance of the detection density level and its location in VMAT specific phantom to obtain a more reliable DVH in the patient CT. The proposed model also showed enough robustness and efficiency to be considered as a pre-treatment VMAT verification system.
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Linking log files with dosimetric accuracy – A multi-institutional study on quality assurance of volumetric modulated arc therapy. Radiother Oncol 2015; 117:407-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2015.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Revised: 09/22/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Muren LP, Jornet N, Georg D, Garcia R, Thwaites DI. Improving radiotherapy through medical physics developments. Radiother Oncol 2015; 117:403-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2015.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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