Linear attenuation coefficients for compensator based IMRT

With rapid technological improvements in computer driven 3-D radiotherapy treatment planning systems (RTPS) the use of compensating filters for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) will dramatically increase the ease of treatment. The procedure for commissioning .decimal (Sanford, Florida) compensators involved the measurement of the effective linear attenuation coefficients for aluminium and brass. Field sizes to be measured vary from small square field size of 5 cm to the larger square field size of 25 cm with additional measurements at each 5 cm2 increments. The energies commissioned where 6 MV and 18 MV photons. The depth of measurements varied from 5 cm to 10 cm within phantom material and the source surface distance varied from 100 cm to 90 cm. The beam quality was measured by obtaining percentage depth dose (PDD) curves for the various field sizes with and without the compensating material. Results of the series of measurements showed no significant differences in the effective linear attenuation coefficients with respect to chamber depth and source surface distance with constant energy and field size. The main factor that was shown to influence the effective linear attenuation coefficient was field size variation. A correlation was shown between the effective linear attenuation coefficient and field size, up to a field size of 15 cm x 15 cm. Our results showed that for optimal patient treatments using IMRT compensating filters, there is a need for establishing two field size dependent linear attenuation coefficients.