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Recommendations of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine regarding the Impact of Implementing the 2004 Task Group 43 Report on Dose Specification for Pd 103 and I 125 Interstitial Brachytherapy
Author(s) -
Williamson Jeffrey F.,
Butler Wayne,
DeWerd Larry A.,
Saiful Huq M.,
Ibbott Geoffrey S.,
Li Zuofeng,
Mitch Michael G.,
Nath Ravinder,
Rivard Mark J.,
Todor Dorin
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.1884925
Subject(s) - task group , medical physicist , brachytherapy , medical physics , association (psychology) , medicine , nuclear medicine , dosimetry , task (project management) , radiation therapy , systems engineering , engineering , engineering management , radiology , psychology , psychotherapist
In March 2004, the recommendations of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) on the interstitial brachytherapy dosimetry using I125 and Pd103 were reported in Medical Physics [TG‐43 Update: Rivard et al., 31, 633–674 (2004)]. These recommendations include some minor changes in the dose‐calculation formalism and a major update of the dosimetry parameters for eight widely used interstitial brachytherapy sources. A full implementation of these recommendations could result in unintended changes in delivered dose without corresponding revisions in the prescribed dose. Because most published clinical experience with permanent brachytherapy is based upon two widely used source models, the I125 Model 6711 and Pd103 Model 200 sources, in this report we present an analysis of the dosimetric impact of the 2004 TG‐43 dosimetry parameters on the history of dose delivery for these two source models. Our analysis indicates that the currently recommended prescribed dose of 125 Gy for Model 200 Pd103 implants planned using previously recommended dosimetry parameters [AAPM Pd103 dose prescription: Williamson et al., Med. Phys. 27, 634–642 (2000)] results in a delivered dose of 120 Gy according to dose calculations based on the 2004 TG‐43 update. Further, delivered doses prior to October 1997 varied from 113 to 119 Gy for a prescribed dose of 115 Gy compared to 124 Gy estimated by the AAPM 2000 report. For I125 implants using Model 6711 seeds, there are no significant changes (less than 2%). Practicing physicians should take these results into account when selecting the clinically appropriate prescribed dose for Pd103 interstitial implant patients following implementation of the 2004 TG‐43 update dose‐calculation recommendations. The AAPM recommends that the radiation oncology community review this report and consider whether the currently recommended dose level (125 Gy) needs to be revised.