Influence of dose calculation algorithms on the helical diode array using volumetric‐modulated arc therapy for small targets

• Published in: Journal of applied clinical medical physics Vol. 25; no. 7; pp. e14307 - n/a
• Main Authors: Ono, Tomohiro, Hirashima, Hideaki, Adachi, Takanori, Iramina, Hiraku, Fujimoto, Takahiro, Uto, Megumi, Nakamura, Mitsuhiro, Mizowaki, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.07.2024
• Subjects: Accuracy; Acuros XB; Algorithms; Atoms & subatomic particles; Brain cancer; Brain Neoplasms - radiotherapy; coarser dose resolution; GPR; Humans; Medical laboratories; Monte Carlo Method; Organs at Risk - radiation effects; Phantoms, Imaging; Quality Assurance, Health Care - standards; Radiation therapy; Radiotherapy Dosage; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted - methods; Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated - methods; Sensors; small‐field irradiation; Spinal Neoplasms - radiotherapy; VMAT; United States > US; Sweden; Acuros XB; GPR; coarser dose resolution; VMAT; small‐field irradiation
• ISSN: 1526-9914; 1526-9914
• DOI: 10.1002/acm2.14307

Background For patient‐specific quality assurance (PSQA) for small targets, the dose resolution can change depending on the characteristics of the dose calculation algorithms. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the dose calculation algorithms Acuros XB (AXB), anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA), photon Monte Carlo (pMC), and collapsed cone (CC) on a helical diode array using volumetric‐modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for small targets. Materials and methods ArcCHECK detectors were inserted with a physical depth of 2.9 cm from the surface. To evaluate the influence of the dose calculation algorithms for small targets, rectangular fields of 2×100, 5×100, 10×100, 20×100, 50×100, and 100×100 mm2 were irradiated and measured using ArcCHECK with TrueBeam STx. A total of 20 VMAT plans for small targets, including the clinical sites of 19 brain metastases and one spine, were also evaluated. The gamma passing rates (GPRs) were evaluated for the rectangular fields and the 20 VMAT plans using AXB, AAA, pMC, and CC. Results For rectangular fields of 2×100 and 5×100 mm2, the GPR at 3%/2 mm of AXB was < 50% because AXB resulted in a coarser dose resolution with narrow beams. For field sizes > 10×100 mm2, the GPR at 3%/2 mm was > 88.1% and comparable for all dose calculation algorithms. For the 20 VMAT plans, the GPRs at 3%/2 mm were 79.1 ± 15.7%, 93.2 ± 5.8%, 94.9 ± 4.1%, and 94.5 ± 4.1% for AXB, AAA, pMC, and CC, respectively. Conclusion The behavior of the dose distribution on the helical diode array differed depending on the dose calculation algorithm for small targets. Measurements using ArcCHECK for VMAT with small targets can have lower GPRs owing to the coarse dose resolution of AXB around the detector area.