title: TG-43 U1 based dosimetric characterization of model 67-6520 Cs-137 brachytherapy source.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Brachytherapy treatment has been a cornerstone for management of various cancer sites, particularly for the treatment of gynecological malignancies. In low dose rate brachytherapy treatments, 137Cs sources have been used for several decades. A new 137Cs source design has been introduced (model 67-6520, source B3-561) by Isotope Products Laboratories (IPL) for clinical application. The goal of the present work is to implement the TG-43 U1 protocol in the characterization of the aforementioned 137Cs source.
  
  
  METHODS
  The dosimetric characteristics of the IPL 137Cs source are measured using LiF thermoluminescent dosimeters in a Solid Water phantom material and calculated using Monte Carlo simulations with the GEANT4 code in Solid Water and liquid water. The dose rate constant, radial dose function, and two-dimensional anisotropy function of this source model were obtained following the TG-43 U1 recommendations. In addition, the primary and scatter dose separation (PSS) formalism that could be used in convolution/superposition methods to calculate dose distributions around brachytherapy sources in heterogeneous media was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The measured and calculated dose rate constants of the IPL 137Cs source in Solid Water were found to be 0.930 (+/-7.3%) and 0.928 (+/-2.6%) cGy h(-1) U(-1), respectively. The agreement between these two methods was within our experimental uncertainties. The Monte Carlo calculated value in liquid water of the dose rate constant was null set=0.948 (+/-2.6%) cGy h(-1) U(-1). Similarly, the agreement between measured and calculated radial dose functions and the anisotropy functions was found to be within +/-5%. In addition, the tabulated data that are required to characterize the source using the PSS formalism were derived.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this article the complete dosimetry of the newly designed 137Cs IPL source following the AAPM TG-43 U1 dosimetric protocol and the PSS formalism is provided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, 300 Community Drive, Manhasset, New York 11030, USA. alimeig@gmail.com
authors.forename: Ali S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Meigooni
authors.forename: Clarissa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Rafiq A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Koona
authors.forename: Shahid B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Awan
authors.forename: Domingo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Granero
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perez-Calatayud
authors.forename: Facundo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ballester
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards*; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000592:standards* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D038622:Internationality; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000592:standards*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000592:standards / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012015:Reference Standards
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals