PURPOSE To design, construct, and evaluate an anthropomorphic phantom for evaluation of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) dose planning and delivery, for protocols developed by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and other cooperative groups. METHODS AND MATERIALS The phantom was constructed from a plastic head-shaped shell and water-equivalent plastics. Internal structures...

A system, consisting of a novel optical fiber-based readout configuration and model-based method, has been developed to test suitability of a certain radiochromic medium for real-time measurements of ionizing radiation dose. Using this system with the radiochromic film allowed dose measurements to be performed during, and immediately after, exposure. The rates of change in OD before, during, an...

PURPOSE Radiochromic film provides dose measurement at high spatial resolution, but often is not preferred for routine evaluation of patient-specific intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans owing to ease-of-use factors. The authors have established an efficient protocol that combines calibration and measurement in a single scan and enables measurement results to be obtained in less t...

PURPOSE A recent field safety notice from TomoTherapy detailed the underdosing of small, off-axis targets when receiving high doses per fraction. This is due to angular undersampling in the dose calculation gantry angles. This study evaluates a correction method to reduce the underdosing, to be implemented in the current version (v4.1) of the TomoTherapy treatment planning software. METHODS T...

This short note investigates the dose characteristics of a relatively new high sensitivity radiochromic film (Gafchromic HS) and compares dose and energy response to various Gafchromic film types and radiographic (EDR-2) film. The original MD-55-1 and two improved sensitivity films, MD-55-2 and HS film, were investigated for energy and dose response. Results show that the energy response of the...

Radiochromic films are mainly used for two-dimensional dose verification in photon, electron, and proton therapy treatments. Moreover, the radiochromic film types available today allow their use a wide range, corresponding to applications from low-medical diagnostics high-dose beam profile measurements charged particle medical accelerators. An in-depth knowledge of characteristics films, operat...

The purpose of this study is to validate Eclipse's electron Monte Carlo algorithm (eMC) in heterogeneous phantoms using radiochromic films and EGSnrc as a reference Monte Carlo algorithm. Four heterogeneous phantoms are used in this study. Radiochromic films are inserted in these phantoms, including in heterogeneous media, and the measured relative dose distributions are compared to eMC calcula...

The measurement of dose distributions in clinical brachytherapy, for the purpose of quality control, commissioning or dosimetric audit, is challenging and requires development. Radiochromic film dosimetry with a commercial flatbed scanner may be suitable, but careful methodologies are required to control various sources of uncertainty. Triple-channel dosimetry has recently been utilized in exte...