Isra Israngkul Na Ayuthaya. Comparison of absorbed dose for high energy photon beams determination by IAEA TRS 398 and IAEA TRS 277 for 8 hospitals in Bangkok . Master's Degree(Medical Physics). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2005.
Comparison of absorbed dose for high energy photon beams determination by IAEA TRS 398 and IAEA TRS 277 for 8 hospitals in Bangkok
Abstract:
Absorbed dose to water is of great important in radiation therapy. The IAEA
TRS 277 protocol directs using an ionization chamber calibrated in air in terms of air
kerma has been used for absorbed dose determination in Thailand. In recent year, a
new code of practice IAEA TRS 398 based on chamber calibration in term of absorbed
dose to water was introduced to reduce uncertainties arising from calculation of
absorbed dose to water using air kerma calibration factor. To implement this new
protocol into a clinic, a comparison of the two protocols should be studied. The study
was undertaken for 8 hospitals in Bangkok with 6, 10 and 18 MV x-ray beams from
linear accelerators and gamma beams from Co-60 machines. The measurements were
made in a water phantom at the reference depth as specified in the protocols with two
types of dosemeters, one was the control dosemeter and the other was the hospital
dosemeters. The results showed that the absorbed dose determined by TRS 398 and
TRS 277 with two types of dosemeters were agreeable within 1% for all energies of
photon beams in 8 hospitals. The result is consistent with other studies. The hospital
dosemeters showed a maximum discrepancy of 0.7%, 0.7%, 0.5% and 0.5% for 6, 10
and 18 MV x-ray beams and Co-60 beams, respectively, while using the control
dosemeter, the maximum discrepancies went down to 0.7%, 0.3%, 0.3% and 0.5% for
6, 10 and 18 MV x-ray beams and Co-60 gamma beams, respectively. The absorbed
doses measured from the control dosemeter were different from hospital dosemeters
within 1.8%. The temperature and pressure correction factors are significant, the
maximum value was 1.02. The maximum recombination correction factor was 1.007.
The maximum polarity effect correction factor was only 1.002; it could be negligible
in photon beams. A transition from TRS 277 to TRS 398 would not significantly
change the absorbed dose values of high energy photon beams. The new protocol
could be implemented to all of the hospitals in this project with confidence.