SU‐C‐BRB‐03: Novel Technique to Implement GRID Therapy in a Commercial Treatment Planning System

Abstract

Purpose:Due to the difficulty of creating an accurate multi‐aperture block in treatment planning systems (TPS), spatially fractionated radiation therapy (GRID Therapy) is limited to clinical setups using simple monitor unit calculations. In this work, we present a novel approach to accurately model a grid block in a TPS and evaluate its dosimetric accuracy.Methods:An acrylic GRID block was fashioned such that the hole size and spacing were the same dimensions of the brass GRID block (dotDecimal) at isocenter. Holes were non‐divergent and drilled 1 cm deep. CT scans (RT Lightspeed, GE Healthcare) of the block were acquired using axial slices with a thickness of 0.625 mm. These were imported into Eclipse (version 11, Varian Medical Systems) and holes were auto‐contoured into structures. The GRID block was created in Eclipse by forming apertures around the hole structures using a simple three step process. Treatment plans were created in a water‐equivalent phantom using 6 and 10 MV beams, delivered with a linear accelerator (Clinac iX, Varian Medical Systems) and measured using a water tank, film and a diode array.Results:Comparisons of percent depth dose curves and profiles at depths of maximum dose, 5cm, and 10cm for field sizes ranging from 5 cm2 to 25 cm2 using water and film were within 3% of their respective positions in Eclipse. GRID plans utilizing various jaw sizes and MLC blocking measured with film and a diode array showed pass rates with an average of 97% using Gamma analysis at 3%/ 3 mm and no lower than 93%.Conclusion:We have developed a simple yet accurate method of incorporating a GRID block into a commercially available TPS and demonstrated that the TPS accurately reflects the dose delivered. This will allow for real‐time planning using patient scans and encourage new methods for GRID therapy.Support provided by dotDecimal, Sanford, FL