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Technical Note: Fabricating Cerrobend grids with 3D printing for spatially modulated radiation therapy: A feasibility
Xiaofeng Zhu1, Joseph Driewer1, Sicong Li1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68154.
Medical Physics
|November 2, 2015
Summary
3D printing enables the creation of specialized Cerrobend grid blocks for grid therapy, improving accessibility for treating large tumors with pencil-like radiation beams.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiation Oncology
- 3D Printing Technology
Background:
- Grid therapy offers potential for treating large tumors using pencil-like radiation beams.
- Accessibility of specialized grid blocks currently limits grid therapy research and clinical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate a Cerrobend grid block using 3D printing for grid therapy applications.
- To assess the feasibility of using 3D printing for producing grid therapy devices.
Main Methods:
- A mold for a Cerrobend grid block was designed with beam-divergent flared tubes and 3D printed using resin.
- Melted Cerrobend was cast into the 3D printed mold to create a 7.4 cm thick grid block.
- The grid block featured a hexagonal pattern with 1.4 cm diameter pencil beams and 2.1 cm center-to-center spacing.
Main Results:
- Dosimetric properties were evaluated using pinpoint ionization chambers and stereotactic diodes.
- For a 6 MV photon beam, the valley-to-peak ratio was 20% at dmax and 30% at 10 cm depth.
- The output factor measured 84.9% at dmax and 65.1% at 10 cm depth.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully demonstrated the feasibility of fabricating Cerrobend grid blocks via 3D printing.
- This 3D printing approach enhances the accessibility of grid therapy for clinical implementation.
