Mycosis Fungoides electron beam absorbed dose distribution using Fricke xylenol gel dosimetry

Abstract

Radiotherapy uses ionizing radiation to destroy tumor cells. The absorbed dose control in the target volume is realized through radiation sensors, such as Fricke dosimeters and radiochromic film, which permit to realize bi-dimensional evaluations at once and because of that, they will be used in this study as well. Among the several types of cancer suitable for ionizing radiation treatment, the Mycosis Fungoides, a lymphoma that spreads on the skin surface and depth, requires for its treatment total body irradiation by high-energy electrons. In this work the Fricke xylenol gel (FXG) was used in order to obtain information about the absorbed dose distribution induced by the electron interactions with the irradiated tissues and to control this type of treatment. FXG can be considered as an alternative dosimeter, since up to now only films have been used. FXG sample cuvettes, simulating two selected tomos (cranium and abdomen) of the Rando anthropomorphic phantom, were positioned along with radiochromic films for comparison. The phantom was subjected to Stanford total body irradiation using 6 MeV electrons. Tomographic images were acquired for both dosimeters and evaluated through horizontal and vertical profiles along the tomographic centers. These profiles were obtained through a Matlab routine developed for this purpose. From the obtained results, one could infer that, for a superficial and internal patient irradiation, the FXG dosimeter showed an absorbed dose distribution similar to the one of the film. These results can validate the FXG dosimeter as an alternative dosimeter for the Mycosis Fungoides treatment planning.