title: The history and principles of chemical dosimetry for 3-D radiation fields: gels, polymers and plastics.
abstract: Over recent decades, modern protocols of external beam radiotherapy have been developed that involve very steep dose gradients and are thus extremely sensitive to errors in treatment delivery. A recent credentialling study by the Radiological Physics Center at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (Texas, USA) has noted potentially significant inaccuracies in test treatments at a variety of institutions. 3-D radiation dosimetry (often referred to as "gel dosimetry") may have an important role in commissioning new treatment protocols, to help prevent this type of error. This article discusses the various techniques of 3-D radiation dosimetry, with a focus on the types of radiosensitive samples used and on the optical computed tomography readout technique.
authors.affiliation: CRUK Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research Group, Department of Physics, Institute of Cancer Research, University of Surrey, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK. Simon.Doran@icr.ac.uk
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Doran
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005782:Gels; D010969:Plastics; D011108:Polymers; D011874:Radiometry / Q000592:standards*; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D014054:Tomography
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D010969:Plastics; D011108:Polymers