Quantification and reduction of peripheral dose from leakage radiation on Siemens primus accelerators in electron therapy mode

In this work, leakage radiation from EA200 series electron applicators on Siemens Primus accelerators is quantified, and its penetration ability in water and/or the shielding material Xenolite-NL established. Initially, measurement of leakage from 10 x 10 - 25 x 25 cm2 applicators was performed as a function of height along applicator and of lateral distance from applicator body. Relative to central-axis ionization maximum in solid water, the maximum leakage in air observed with a cylindrical ion chamber with 1 cm solid water buildup cap at a lateral distance of 2 cm from the front and right sidewalls of applicators were 17% and 14%, respectively; these maxima were recorded for 18 MeV electron beams and applicator sizes of >or=20 x 20 cm2. In the patient plane, the applicator leakage gave rise to a broad peripheral dose off-axis distance peak that shifted closer to the field edge as the electron energy increases. The maximum peripheral dose from normally incident primary electron beams at a depth of 1 cm in a water phantom was observed to be equal to 5% of the central-axis dose maximum and as high as 9% for obliquely incident beams with angles of obliquity <or=40 degrees . Measured depth-peripheral dose curves showed that the "practical range" of the leakage electrons in water varies from approximately 1.4 to 5.7 cm as the primary electron beam energy is raised from 6 to 18 MeV. Next, transmission measurements of leakage radiation through the shielding material Xenolite-NL showed a 4 mm thick sheet of this material is required to attenuate the leakage from 9 MeV beams by two-thirds, and that for every additional 3 MeV increase in the primary electron beam energy, an additional Xenolite-NL thickness of roughly 2 mm is needed to achieve the aforementioned attenuation level. Finally, attachment of a 1 mm thick sheet of lead to the outer surface of applicator sidewalls resulted in a reduction of the peripheral dose by up to 80% and 74% for 9 and 18MeV beams, respectively. This sidewall modification had an insignificant effect on the clinical depth dose, cross-axis beam profiles, and output factors.