Analysis of Dose Distribution According to the Initial Electron Beam of the Linear Accelerator: A Monte Carlo Study

Abstract

Background

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is the most accurate for calculating radiation dose distribution and determining patient dose. In MC simulations of the therapeutic accelerator, the characteristics of the initial electron must be precisely determined in order to achieve accurate simulations. However, It has been computation-, labor-, and time-intensive to predict the beam characteristics through predominantly empirical approach. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between electron beam parameters and dose distribution, with the goal of simplifying the MC commissioning process.

Materials and Methods

The Varian Clinac 2300 IX machine was modeled with the Geant4 MC-toolkit. The percent depth dose (PDD) and lateral beam profiles were assessed according to initial electron beam parameters of mean energy, radial intensity distribution, and energy distribution.

Results and Discussion

The PDD values increased on average by 4.36% when the mean energy increased from 5.6 MeV to 6.4 MeV. The PDD was also increased by 2.77% when the energy spread increased from 0 MeV to 1.019 MeV. In the lateral dose profile, increasing the beam radial width from 0 mm to 4 mm at the full width at half maximum resulted in a dose decrease of 8.42% on the average. The profile also decreased by 4.81% when the mean energy was increased from 5.6 MeV to 6.4 MeV. Of all tested parameters, electron mean energy had the greatest influence on dose distribution. The PDD and profile were calculated using parameters optimized and compared with the golden beam data. The maximum dose difference was assessed as less than 2%.

Conclusion

The relationship between the initial electron and treatment beam quality investigated in this study can be used in Monte Carlo commissioning of medical linear accelerator model.