PHSOR04 Presentation Time: 10:15 AM: Single-Channel Cylinders with Metal Stems: Considerations in Brachytherapy Dose Reporting to Clinical Trials

Abstract

Purpose: In clinical trials, inter-institution variability in applicator design is inevitable. Many applicator designs involve metal stems. The impact of these high-Z materials on the reported dose can vary if heterogeneity corrections (HC) are not utilized. It is feasible for institutions with the same source dwell pattern to report different dose distributions, which can affect the eligibility of submitted plans and, most importantly, the dose response analysis. This investigation sought to quantify the impact of HC for metal stems within the TPS would have for dose reporting for a hypothetical clinical trial.