Low-energy Photon Beams Research Articles

Dosimetric considerations of water-based bolus for irradiation of extremities

The dosimetry of high-energy photon beams in the treatment of superficial lesions occurring in extremities was examined. Large parallel-opposed fields with different photon beam energies were used. The extremity was immersed in water contained in a commercially available plastic wastebasket. The water bolus serves to even out the surface irregularities of the extremities and to remove the skin sparing effect. A polystyrene block was placed at the floor of the wastebasket to ensure that the extremity was encompassed in the radiation fields. The photon beam energies considered were 4 MV, 6 MV, 10 MV, and 24 MV. The results show that the dose distributions are more homogeneous with higher photon beam energies. The isodose lines are more constricted at mid-plane for low energy photon beams. Higher energy photon beams, 10 MV and up would be preferable for the treatment of superficial lesions of the extremities immersed in water bolus contained in a typical wastebasket size.

Energy Dependence of A New Solid State Diode for Low Energy Photon Beam Dosimetry

Any newly introduced radiation dosimeters must be evaluated for clinical use. This paper reports an evaluation of the energy response of a newly fabricated solid state diode for low-energy photon beam dosimetry. The diode, which has minimal buildup, is one of five models designed for in vivo patient dosimetry. Measurements were made using this diode for x-ray beams with kilovoltage potential from 20 to 100 kVp from a superficial x-ray treatment unit. In addition, measurements were also made using calibrated ion chamber designed for low-energy x-ray beams. A cone size of 20 × 20 cm was used and measurements were taken with diode and ion chamber placed at 35 cm from the source. The energy response was determined by taking the ratio of the diode measurement to the ion chamber measurement. The results show that the response of this new diode increases as the quality of the x-ray beam increases at low energy range; however, the percent difference of the detector response between the 70 kVp and 100 kVp x-ray beam is less than 1%, suggesting that this detector can be used as a dosimetry tool for the typical superficial x-ray treatments.

Dosimetric protocols in radiotherapy: A computer program

A computer program to evaluate the dose to water in a specified point for low, medium and high energy photon and electron radiotherapeutic beams using different ionization chambers, phantom materials and new dosimetric standard protocols has been developed. The absorbed dose to air cavity calibration factors of the ionization chambers at the radiation quality, the updated physical quantities and dosimetric parameters are part of the data base, which is extendable to individual users' needs. Moreover, the management software permits comparison of different dosimetric protocols and reduction of errors on the dose delivered to patients.

Photon beams for radiosurgery produced by laser Compton backscattering from relativistic electrons

The frontal collisions of a laser beam with relativistic electrons result in Compton-backscattered photons. The energy of these photons is dependent on the laser and electron energy in the range from kilo-electron-volts to tens of mega-electron-volts. In a sufficiently narrow backscattering angle the photons are nearly monochromatic. Over the past 30 years there have been several attempts to produce photon beams by laser backscattering from relativistic electrons stored in magnetic ring structures. One aim is to produce photons in the high mega-electron-volt energy range with fluxes useful for nuclear physics research; another is to produce photons in the high kilo-electron-volt energy range, which would be useful for medical applications, such as coronary angiography or treatment of tumour. Our present interest is to investigate the possibility of using 34 keV to 10 MeV photon beams for applications in stereotactic functional radiosurgery. We foresee the possibility of neurosurgical operations through the intact skull with precise and effective destruction of deeply lying millimetre-sized targets with minimal effects on intervening structures, high reproducibility and good prediction of the results. Our paper presents: a Monte Carlo study of radiosurgery based on cross firing with 34 keV to 100 MeV photon beams and 200 and 580 MeV proton beams, a theoretical description of the kinematics of Compton backscattering and estimates of the backscattered photon flux from several combinations of laser cavities at Nd:YAG (1.17 eV) and (0.117 eV) laser energies and electron storage rings energies in the range 0.1 - 1.3 GeV. As examples, existing magnetic structures, such as the Accumulator in the lower energy range and the Trieste Synchrotron Light Source ELETTRA in the higher energy range have been utilized in the calculations. The Monte Carlo study has shown that radiosurgery with photon beams of energies in mega-electron-volt energy range enables precise destruction of deeply lying millimetre-sized targets with minimal effects on intervening structures. Its precision is comparable to that of radiosurgery with a 200 - 580 MeV proton beam, but our hope is that radiosurgery with lower energy photon beams could be more precise and less expensive. An average dose of 200 Gy can be delivered to a target of diameter 2 mm at the centre of an 18 cm diameter phantom in 1 h using photon beams of fluences , , , , and photons per second at 34 keV, 100 keV, 1 MeV, 3 MeV, 10 MeV and 100 MeV per cross section of beam of 2 mm diameter, respectively. 34 - 100 keV photon beams were studied in the hope of finding a strong enhancement of their efficiency if a stable high-Z element were to be introduced into the target's DNA. It is shown that, with a low-energy ring running at about 0.4 GeV and a Nd:YAG laser, it would be possible to obtain the required 3 MeV photon beam flux to deliver the average dose within 1 h, assuming an average distance between the source and the target of about 5 m. With a similar machine used at about 1.3 GeV and a laser, a 3 MeV photon beam is obtained and the exposure time can be reduced to less than 1 min, assuming a roughly 10 m distance between source and target (here a beam angle of 0.1 mrad only had to be considered due to the larger angular energy and yield spread). With a lower electron energy of 138 MeV and a laser, a 34 keV photon beam can be produced. More than 45 h would be needed to deliver the same dose. We hope that this time could be shortened considerably if stable iodine were introduced into the target with the help of a DNA-seeking molecular carrier. In this case the geometrical precision would be further improved.

2113 The results of radiotherapy for T1 glottic cancers; influence of radiation beam energy

We analyzed the influence of various parameters on the results of radiotherapy for T1 glottic cancer by assessing the outcomes of 60 patients with this cancer who received definitive radiotherapy between 1985 and 1994. Seven patients were treated with a cobalt-60 unit, and the other 53 with a linear accelerator (26 patients at 3-MV, 10 at 6-MV, and 17 at 10-MV). Of the 17 patients treated at 10-MV, 4 also received part of their treatment with a cobalt-60 unit. The total radiation dose ranged from 56 Gy to 70 Gy (mean, 61 Gy). The total radiation dose of 51 patients (85%) was 60 Gy. The factors found to influence local control were the strength of the radiation beam energy and whether or not there was gross tumor invasion of the anterior commissure. The local control rate was 71% in the patients treated with a 10-MV linear accelerator, 56% in those treated with a 6-MV linear accelerator and, 97% in those treated with a cobalt-60 unit or a 3-MV linear accelerator (P = 0.0173). The local control rate was 43% in the patients with gross anterior commissure invasion and 88% in those without (P = 0.0075). We conclude that low energy photon beams are more suitable for the treatment of early glottic cancers, especially if the lesion grossly invades the anterior commissure.

Difficulties encountered with some intermediate-atomic-number radiation-protection dosimeters irradiated on-phantom in low-energy photon beams.

During a measurement-assurance study done with a particular type of radiation-protection dosimeter, we obtained unexpectedly poor results when several of the dosimeters were irradiated simultaneously on-phantom in a low-energy bremsstrahlung beam. The dosimeters incorporated low- and intermediate-atomic-number (Z) thermoluminescence dosimeter elements with the intermediate-Z elements under Pb filters. The response of the low-Z elements was in good agreement with the predicted response regardless of dosimeter location on the phantom, while agreement for the intermediate-Z elements was poor for some locations not coinciding with the phantom center. We have since studied the behavior of this dosimeter type and of four other types in detail by irradiating them, one at a time, on- and off-phantom, with their geometric centers displaced up to 10 cm along the vertical and horizontal axes through the center of the beam cross section. Two low-energy bremsstrahlung beams and a 137Cs gamma-ray beam were used. Variation of response to low-energy photons with on-phantom location was observed to some degree in all intermediate-Z dosimeter elements covered with high-Z filters. The reason for the observed dependence of response upon on-phantom location seems to be insufficient side shielding against phantom and filter albedo, as proved in one case, in which added shielding removed this dependence for the element immediately adjacent to the added shield. Since the effective dose equivalent to the human body is lower for lateral incidence of low-energy photons than for the same photons incident from the front or back, dosimeters incorporating high-Z filters without side shielding (and thus expected to exhibit the phenomenon) do not lend themselves to the determination of the effective dose equivalent or any quantity proportional to it by currently employed methods. A detailed study of the angular dependence of dosimeter response performed on a suitable phantom should aid in eliminating such inadequate dosimeters from practical use.

Considerations of Coherent Scattering and Electron Binding in Incoherent Scattering, in Computation of Dose Deposition in Tissue from Low-Energy Photon Beams

Two different sets of Monte Carlo computations were carried out for the study of dose penetration of monoenergetic, low-energy (10 to 100 keV) photon beams incident on slabs of tissue. One program took into account coherent scattering and considered electron binding when finding the angle of scattering during incoherent scattering; the other simpler program, customarily used at higher energies, largely ignored these effects. For calculations at the source photon energy of 100 keV, it was found that there was negligible difference in dose distribution in the slab between the more and less complex type of calculations. The same thing was found to be true for the 30 and 10-keV source photon energies only for shallow penetration distances; and at deeper penetrations the simple approach tended to overestimate the dose appreciably. It is concluded that for penetration of low-energy photon beams into tissue, accurate calculational results cannot be assured with the neglect of coherent scattering effects and electron binding considerations in determining the scattering angles except for shallow depths of penetration.

MEASUREMENT OF BONE MINERAL IN VIVO: AN IMPROVED METHOD.

The mineral content of bone can be determined by measuring the absorption by bone of a monochromatic, low-energy photon beam which originates in a radioactive source (iodine-125 at 27.3 kev or americium 241 at 59.6 kev). The intensity of the beam transmitted by the bone is measured by counting with a scintillation detector. Since the photon source and detector are well collimated, errors resulting from scattered radiation are reduced. From measurements of the intensity of the transmitted beam, made at intervals across the bone, the total mineral content of the bone can be determined. The results are accurate and reproducible to within about 3 percent.