Evaluation of calculation methods of collimator scatter factors in a linear accelerator equipped with MLC instead of...

In the monitor unit verification for high-energy radiation therapy, we evaluated methods of calculation of collimator scatter factors (S(c)) in a linear accelerator equipped with MLC instead of lower collimators. Routinely,S(c) is calculated from rectangular fields shaped by upper and lower jaws in the linear accelerator. However, this calculation method should not be used for the linear accelerator equipped with MLC instead of lower collimators. Consequently, we used a backprojected field at the flattening filter plane projected by calculation point's eye view on each MLC. We then attempted to deviseS(c) by using Clarkson's integration for these backprojected irregular fields. This method makes it possible to calculate collimator scatter factors in error of less than +/-0.3% in all of sixteen measured irregular fields.