• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.33-39
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• 2023

Purpose: FLASH radiotherapy (RT) using ultra-high dose rate (>40 Gy/s) radiation is being studied worldwide. However, experimental studies such as preclinical studies using small animals are difficult to perform due to the limited availability of irradiation devices and methods for generating a FLASH beam. In this paper, we report the initial dosimetry results of a prototype electron linear accelerator (LINAC)-based irradiation system to perform ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) preclinical experiments. Methods: The present study used the prototype electron LINAC developed by the Research Center of Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (DIRAMS) in Korea. We investigated the beam current dependence of the depth dose to determine the optimal beam current for preclinical experiments. The dose rate in the UHDR region was measured by film dosimetry. Results: Depth dose measurements showed that the optimal beam current for preclinical experiments was approximately 33 mA, corresponding to a mean energy of 4.4 MeV. Additionally, the average dose rates of 80.4 Gy/s and 162.0 Gy/s at a source-to-phantom surface distance of 30 cm were obtained at pulse repetition frequencies of 100 Hz and 200 Hz, respectively. The dose per pulse and instantaneous dose rate were estimated to be approximately 0.80 Gy and 3.8×10⁵ Gy/s, respectively. Conclusions: Film dosimetry verified the appropriate dose rates to perform FLASH RT preclinical studies using the developed electron-beam irradiator. However, further research on the development of innovative beam monitoring systems and stabilization of the accelerator beam is required.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 1983

To obtain 7 MeV electron beam which is suitable for treatment of the chest wall after radical of modified radical mastectomy, the authors reduced the energy of electron beam by means by Lucite plate inserted in the beam. To determine the proper thickness of the Lucite plate necessary to reduce the energy of 9 MeV electron beam to 6 MeV, dosimetry was made by using a parallel plate ionization chamber in polystyrene phantom. Separation between two adjacent fields, 7 MeV for chest wall and 12 MeV for internal mammary region, was studied by means of film dosimetry in both polytyrene phantom and Humanoid phantom. The results were as follows. 1. The average energy of 9 MeV electron beam transmitted through the Lucite plate was reduced. Reduction was proportional to the thickness of the Lucite plate in the rate of 1.7 MeV/cm. 2. The proper thickness of the Lucite plate necessary to obtain 6 MeV electron beam from 9 MeV was 1.2 cm. 3. 7 MeV electron beam, 80% dose at 2cm depth, is adequate for treatment of the chest wall. 4. Proper separation between two adjacent electron fields, 7 MeV and 12 MeV, was 5mm on both flat surface and sloping surface to produce uniform dose distribution.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.145-152
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• 2020

Purpose: In ionization-chamber dosimetry for high-dose-rate electron beams-above 20 mGy/pulse-the ion-recombination correction methods recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) are not appropriate, because they overestimate the correction factor. In this study, we suggest a practical ion-recombination correction method, based on Boag's improved model, and apply it to reference dosimetry for electron beams of about 100 mGy/pulse generated from an electron linear accelerator (LINAC). Methods: This study employed a theoretical model of the ion-collection efficiency developed by Boag and physical parameters used by Laitano et al. We recalculated the ion-recombination correction factors using two-voltage analysis and obtained an empirical fitting formula to represent the results. Next, we compared the calculated correction factors with published results for the same calculation conditions. Additionally, we performed dosimetry for electron beams from a 6 MeV electron LINAC using an Advanced Markus^® ionization chamber to determine the reference dose in water at the source-to-surface distance (SSD)=100 cm, using the correction factors obtained in this study. Results: The values of the correction factors obtained in this work are in good agreement with the published data. The measured dose-per-pulse for electron beams at the depth of maximum dose for SSD=100 cm was 115 mGy/pulse, with a standard uncertainty of 2.4%. In contrast, the k_s values determined using the IAEA and AAPM methods are, respectively, 8.9% and 8.2% higher than our results. Conclusions: The new method based on Boag's improved model provides a practical method of determining the ion-recombination correction factors for high dose-per-pulse radiation beams up to about 120 mGy/pulse. This method can be applied to electron beams with even higher dose-per-pulse, subject to independent verification.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.1431-1440
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• 2024

The study aimed to develop a laser-based distance meter (LDM) to improve water surface identification for clinical MeV electron beam dosimetry, as inaccurate water surface determination can lead to imprecise positioning of ionization chambers (ICs). The LDM consisted of a laser ranging sensor, a signal processing microcontroller, and a tablet PC for data acquisition. I₅₀ (the water depth at which ionization current drops to 50 % of its maximum) measurements of electron beams were performed using six different types of ICs and compared to other water surface identification methods. The LDM demonstrated reproducible I₅₀ measurements with a level of 0.01 cm for all six ICs. The uncertainty of water depth was evaluated at 0.008 cm with the LDM. The LDM also exposed discrepancies between I₅₀ measurements using different ICs, which was partially reduced by applying an optimum shift of IC's point of measurement (POM) or effective point of measurement (EPOM). However, residual discrepancies due to the energy dependency of the cylindrical chamber's EPOM caused remained. The LDM offers straightforward and efficient means for precision water surface identification, minimizing reliance on individual operator skills.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 1992

Increasing frequency of skin cancer, mycosis fungoides, Kaposi's sarcoma etc, it need to treatment dose planning for total skin electron beam (TSEB) therapy. Appropriate treatment planning for TSEB therapy is needed to give homogeneous dose distribution throughout the entire skin surface. The energy of 6 MeV electron from the 18 MeV medical linear accelerator was adapted for superficial total skin electron beam therapy. The energy of the electron beam was reduced to 4.2 MeV by a $0.5\;cm\times90\;cm{\times}180\;cm$ acryl screen placed in a feet front of the patient. Six dual field beam was adapted for total skin irradiation to encompass the entire body surface from head to toe simultaneously. The patients were treated behind the acryl screen plate acted as a beam scatterer and contained a parallel-plate shallow ion chamber for dosimetry and beam monitoring. During treatment, the patient was placed in six different positions due to be homogeneous dose distribution for whole skin around the body. One treatment session delivered 400 cGy to the entire skin surface and patients were treated twice a week for eight consecutive weeks, which is equivalent to TDF value 57. instrumentation and techniques developed in determining the depth dose, dose distribution and bremsstrahlung dose are discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.252-254
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• 2002

A new protocol for dosimetry in external beam radiotherapy is published by the Japan Society of Medical Physics (JSMP) in 2002. The protocol deals with proton and heavy ion beams as well as photon and electron beams, in accordance with IAEA Technical Report Series No. 398. To establish inter-institutional uniformity in proton beam dosimetry, an intercomparison program was carried out with the new protocol. The absorbed doses are measured with different cylindrical ionization chambers in a water phantom at a position of 30-mm residual range for a proton beam, that had range of 155 mm and a spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) of 60-mm width. As a result, the intercomparison showed that the use of the new protocol would improve the +/- 1.0 % (one standard deviation) and 2.7 % (maximum discrepancy) differences in absorbed doses stated by the participating institutions to +/- 0.3% and 0.9 %, respectively. The new protocol will be adopted by all of the participants.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1989

Dosimerty based on electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis of radiation induced free radicals in amino acids is relevant to biological dosimetry applications. Alanine detectors are without walls and are tissue equivalent. Therefore, alanine ESR dosimetry looks promising for use in the therapy level. The dose range of the alanine/ESR dosimetry system can be extended down to 1 Gy. In water phantom the absorbed dose of electrons generated by a medical linear accelerator of different initial energies $(6\~21MeV)$ and therapeutic dose levels (1~60 Gy) was measured. Furthermore, depth dose measurements carried out with alanine dosimeters were compared with ionization chamber measurements. As the results, the measured absorbed doses for shallow depth of initial electron energies above 15 MeV were higher by$2\~5\%$ than those calculated by nominal energy $C_E$ factors. This seems to be caused by low energy scattered beams generated from the scattering foil and electron cones of beam projecting device in medical linear accelerator.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 1996

Total Skin Electron Beam Therapy (TSEBT) is one of the most effective treatment methods for superficially disseminated skin cancer or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. We have treated a patient with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. We have used Stanford technique using six dual field. The nominal energy of electron beam was 4MeV. SSD was 390cm and the gantry angles of dual fields were 76$^{\circ}$ and 104$^{\circ}$. The dose profiles of single field and dual fields were measured with films and a Farmer type ion chamber. The field uniformity was 10％ over the patient's surface. During treatment, the patient was placed in six different positions for homogenous dose distribution over the body surface. The areas not directly exposed to the path of the electron beam (soles of feet, perineum and vertex of scalp) were boosted with 7MeV electron beam. During the treatment, lens, fingernails and toenails were shielded.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 2010

For the measurements of an absorbed dose using the standard dosimetry based on an absorbed dose to water the variety of factors, whether big, small, or tiny, may influence the accuracy of dosimetry. The beam quality correction factor ${\kappa}_{Q,Q_0}$ of an ionization chamber might also be one of them. The cylindrical type of ionization chamber, the PTW30013 chamber, was chosen for this work and 9 chambers of the same type were collected from several institutes where the chamber types are used for the reference dosimetry. They were calibrated from the domestic Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory with the same electrometer and cable. These calibrated chambers were used to measure absorbed doses to water in the reference condition for the photon beam of 6 MV and 10 MV and the electron beam of 12 MeV from Siemens ONCOR. The biggest difference among chambers amounts to 2.4% for the 6 MV photon beam, 0.8% for the 10 MV photon beam, and 2.4% for the 12 MeV electron beam. The big deviation in the photon of 6 MV demonstrates that if there had been no problems with the process of measurements application of the same ${\kappa}_{Q,Q_0}$ to the chambers used in this study might have influenced the deviation in the photon 6 MV and that how important an external audit is.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.85-93
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• 1992

We have studied the dosimetric properties of electron beam using Lyon intraoperative device for intraoperative radiation therapy. The dosimetry data had compiled in such a way that a quick and correct decision regarding the cone shape, energy, and accurate calculations could be made. Using 3 dimensional water phantom, we have got the following data: cone output ratios, surface dose, $d_{max}$, $d_{90}$, flatness, symmetry, beam profiles, isodose curve, and SSD correction factors. The cone output ratios were measured with straight and bevelled cone, respectively. As the cone size and the energy were reduced, the cone output ratios decreased rapidly. With the flattening filter, the surface dose increased by electron beam to $85.3\%$, $89.2\%$, and $93.4\%$, for 6 MeV, 9 MeV, and 12 MeV, respectively. It is important to increase the surface dose to $90\%$ or more. Inspite of diminishing dose rate and beam penetration, this flattening filter increases the treatment volume significantly. With the combination of the three levels collimation and the flattening filter, we achieved good homogeneity of the beam and better flatness and the diameter of the 90$\%$ isodose curve was increased. It is important to increase the area that is included in the $90\%$ isodose level. The value of measured and calculated SSD correction factors did not agree over the clinically important range from 100 cm to 110 cm.