WE‐E‐BRB‐05: Characterization of a Novel DNA Dosimeter for Skin Dose Measurements

Abstract

Purpose: To develop a novel DNA dosimeter for accurate dose measurements in a broad spectrum of therapeutics beams including contaminated x‐ray fields. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were used to evaluate the DNA dosimeter for surface dose detection. The dose deposited to the detector while on the surface of a cylindrical tissue phantom was compared to the dose deposited to the first 1 mm of skin along the beamˈs central axis for electrons and photons with energies 100 keV to 20 MeV. These results were combined with a theoretical derivation of the dosimeterˈs response to a broad spectrum of electron‐photon fields and compared to experimental results. Results: Results from the Monte Carlo simulations and theoretical derivation concluded that the DNA detector is capable of measuring skin doses with a 4.2% relative uncertainty. The experimental uncertainty in absorbed dose measurements was found to be 9%. The DNA dosimeter showed a linear signal response with dose in the range of 10 cGy to 10 Gy and the responses were statistically equal in cobalt 60 and 6 MV beams. Conclusions: The DNA dosimeter is theoretically capable of accurate absorbed dose measurements in therapeutic beam including skin dose measurements from contaminated x‐ray beams. Further experimental testing is required to determine if the dosimeter is independent of energy in a broad energy range of electron and photon fields and lower the experimental uncertainty.This work has been partially funded by the Chemical, Biological, Radiological‐Nuclear and Explosives Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI), project #06‐0186RD.