Use of 3D-printers to create intensity-modulated radiotherapy compensator blocks

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) is crucial for precise cancer treatment, delivering high radiation doses to tumors while sparing healthy tissues.
• Traditional manufacturing of IMRT compensator blocks using milling machines is costly and time-consuming.
• Multileaf Collimators (MLC) are an alternative, but compensator blocks offer specific advantages in certain treatment scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simpler, more cost-effective method for manufacturing IMRT compensator blocks.
• To explore the use of 3D printing technology in the production of radiotherapy devices.
• To assess the feasibility of in-house compensator block fabrication within a radiotherapy setting.

Main Methods:

• A fluency map from a treatment planning system (TPS) was used to create a mold via 3D printing.
• The 3D-printed mold was filled with cerrobend alloy to form the IMRT compensator block.
• Quality assurance was conducted using dosimetric films to compare measured dose distributions with TPS predictions.

Main Results:

• The 3D printing method successfully produced IMRT compensator blocks.
• Dosimetric film analysis showed good agreement between measured and predicted dose profiles.
• The maximum Root Mean Square (RMS) error for the tested profiles was 8.84%, indicating accuracy.

Conclusions:

• 3D printing provides an effective and simpler alternative for manufacturing IMRT compensator blocks.
• This method significantly reduces production costs and time compared to conventional techniques.
• The entire process can be completed within a radiotherapy facility, enhancing operational efficiency.