title: A program for the independent verification of brachytherapy planning system calculations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this work a spreadsheet based program is presented that to a large extent independently verifies the calculations of individual plans of brachytherapy treatment planning systems for low dose rate, high dose rate and pulsed dose rate techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  The verification program has been developed based on workbooks/spreadsheets. The treatment planning system output text files are automatically loaded into the new program, allowing the use of the source coordinates, the desired calculation point coordinates, and the dwell times of a patient plan. The source strength and the reference dates are entered by the user and then dose points calculations are independently performed. The program shows its results in a comparison of its calculated point dose data with the corresponding TPS outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results of 250 clinical cases show agreement with the TPS outcome within a 2% level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The program allows the implementation of the recommendations to verify the clinical brachytherapy dosimetry in a simple and accurate way, in only few minutes and with a minimum of user interactions.
authors.affiliation: Physics Section, Department of Radiation Oncology, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Carmona
authors.affiliation: Physics Section, Department of Radiation Oncology, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain; Department of Radiotherapy, Clínica Benidorm, Benidorm, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perez-Calatayud
authors.affiliation: Physics Section, Department of Radiation Oncology, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lliso
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Clínica Benidorm, Benidorm, Spain.
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richart
authors.affiliation: Departament of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Facundo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ballester
authors.affiliation: Physics Section, Department of Radiation Oncology, La Fe University Hospital, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Mª Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pujades-Claumarchirant
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Instituut Verbeeten, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jack L M
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Venselaar
keywords: brachytherapy; physics dosimetry; planning system; verification