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Sci—Fri PM: Dosimetry—04: Radiation out‐of‐field dose in the treatment of pediatric central nervous system malignancies
Author(s) -
Taddei P J,
Tannous J,
Nabha R,
Feghali J A,
Ayoub Z,
Jalbout W,
Youssef B
Publication year - 2014
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 - 10.1118/1.4894959
Subject(s) - dosimetry , dosimeter , imaging phantom , nuclear medicine , radiation therapy , absorbed dose , radiation treatment planning , dose profile , medicine , thermoluminescent dosimeter , gaussian , gaussian function , physics , radiology , quantum mechanics
Children diagnosed with central nervous system (CNS) malignancies often receive radiotherapy, which can cause radiogenic late effects. In order to identify and reduce the risk of these late effects, we must understand the radiation doses that these children receive. Modern treatment planning systems accurately estimate the absorbed dose within the treatment fields but poorly estimate the dose outside them. The purpose of our study was to measure the out‐of‐field dose for children receiving localized radiotherapy for CNS cancer and apply an analytical model for estimating dose as a function of distance from the field edge. Radiation fields designed for a 12‐year‐old boy treated in our clinic were applied to an anthropomorphic phantom containing more than 200 thermoluminescent dosimeters. A double‐Gaussian function of absorbed dose versus distance from the field edge (i.e., 50% isodose line) was applied, and parameters were allowed to vary and were fit to the model by minimizing the root mean square deviation, RMSD. The fitted model accurately predicted the dose from distances of 4 cm to 50 cm (RMSD = 0.54 cGy/Gy), but the model was not useful in estimating dose for distances less than 4 cm because of wide variation in measured dose, and the double‐Gaussian model failed by systematically underestimating the dose beyond 50 cm. In conclusion, the double‐Gaussian model may be applicable for points at distances from the field edge between 4 cm and 50 cm, where most children's radiosensitive tissues are located, but for points beyond 50 cm, an improvement should be investigated.