title: On the sensitivity of α/β prediction to dose calculation methodology in prostate brachytherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the relationship between the accuracy of the dose calculation in brachytherapy and the estimations of the radiosensitivity parameter, α/β, for prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, Monte Carlo methods and more specifically the code ALGEBRA was used to produce accurate dose calculations in the case of prostate brachytherapy. Equivalent uniform biologically effective dose was calculated for these dose distributions and was used in an iso-effectiveness relationship with external beam radiation therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By considering different levels of detail in the calculations, the estimation for the α/β parameter varied from 1.9 to 6.3 Gy, compared with a value of 3.0 Gy suggested by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 137.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Large variations of the α/β show the sensitivity of this parameter to dose calculation modality. The use of accurate dose calculation engines is critical for better evaluating the biological outcomes of treatments.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval and Département de Radio-Oncologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada; Centre Intégré de Cancérologie de la Montérégie, Hôpital Charles-LeMoyne, Greenfield Park, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Afsharpour
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology Maastricht Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO), GROW, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology and Biology, The University of Oxford, The United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval and Département de Radio-Oncologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Charles-Antoine
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Collins Fekete
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval and Département de Radio-Oncologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vigneault
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology Maastricht Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO), GROW, University Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Medical Physics Unit, Department of Oncology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verhaegen
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval and Département de Radio-Oncologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Québec, QC, Canada. Electronic address: Luc.Beaulieu@phy.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beaulieu
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage / Q000592:standards*; D012016:Reference Values; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity