Dose calculations for external photon beams in radiotherapy

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Computational Dosimetry

Background:

• Accurate dose calculation is crucial for effective radiation therapy.
• Photon beam characteristics and clinical dose requirements necessitate precise dosimetry methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and categorize dose calculation methods for photon beams in radiation therapy.
• To provide a comprehensive overview from basic to advanced techniques.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of methods by particle transport explicitness.
• Description of dose ratio factorizations, scatter modeling, and kernel-based approaches.
• Summary of explicit particle transport methods like Monte Carlo simulations.

Main Results:

• Dose calculation methods range from simple approximations to complex simulations.
• Kernel-based methods, often derived from Monte Carlo, are presented as state-of-the-art.
• Literature on beam characterization and scatter handling is reviewed for phase space data.

Conclusions:

• A spectrum of dose calculation strategies exists for photon beam therapy.
• Advanced methods like kernel-based and Monte Carlo simulations offer high accuracy.
• Understanding these methods is key for optimizing radiation therapy treatment planning.