title: Superposition dose calculation in lung for 10MV photons.
abstract: Currently available radiotherapy treatment planning systems employ scatter function models such as ETAR and Batho dSAR for dose calculation. Errors using these models for high energy photon irradiation occur in and beyond lung tissue for small fields. For larger fields, central axis dose is correctly predicted but penumbral broadening in lung is underestimated. The major source of error is the assumption that lateral electronic equilibrium is always established. A superposition algorithm has been developed for 10MV photons which calculates the dose by convolving the TERMA (Total Energy Released per unit MAss by primary photons) with a dose spread array formed using the EGS4 Monte Carlo code. TERMA and dose spread arrays are both generated using a 10 component photon energy spectrum. Dose in inhomogeneous media is calculated using dose spread arrays generated for different density media and by scaling dose spread arrays according to density variations. This method ensures that electronic disequilibrium is modelled in situations where it exists. Superposition results in a lung phantom for a 5 x 5 cm field agree with EGS4 Monte Carlo results to within 2% for p = 0.20 gcm-3 and p = 0.30 gcm-3 lung. Profiles generated by superposition for a 10 x 10 cm field at mid-lung and compared with film measurements show that penumbral broadening in low density material is also correctly predicted.
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Hoban
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Round
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung; D008961:Models, Structural; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D011881:Radiotherapy, Computer-Assisted