title: Formulae for the determination of percentage depth dose of 8 and 16 megavolt x-rays by means of a computer.
abstract: Linear accelerators play an important role in the treatment of some cancer patients. These accelerators produce high-energy X-rays (in the megavolt (MV) range) and the effective penetration of the X-rays depends on the energy. The percentage depth dose at the central axis gives an indication of effective penetration. An attempt was made to derive formulae for the percentage depth dose for 8 and 16 MV X-rays in tissue. The formulae can be used for treatment planning purposes and also for calculating the integral absorbed dose. A further important application of the formulae is the calculation of the central absorbed dose for two opposing beams at non-standard treatment distances.
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy / Q000592:standards*; D013679:Technology, Radiologic