Addendum to brachytherapy dose-volume histogram commissioning with multiple planning systems.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Brachytherapy Software Validation

Background:

• Accurate dose calculation is crucial in brachytherapy.
• Dose-volume histograms (DVHs) are essential for treatment planning and quality assurance.
• Previous studies have validated DVH accuracy in other brachytherapy software.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the dose-volume histogram (DVH) data accuracy of the Best NOMOS treatment planning system (TPS).
• To supplement previous DVH validation studies by evaluating a new brachytherapy software.
• To establish acceptance criteria for DVH accuracy in brachytherapy TPS.

Main Methods:

• A rectangular cuboid phantom was contoured in the Best TPS VolumePlan software.
• A single 125I source was positioned within the phantom.
• Dose deposition was calculated using AAPM TG-43 formalism and compared to TPS-generated DVH data.
• Acceptance criteria were set for "actual variance" (≤5%) and "average variance" (≤2%) between hand calculations and TPS DVH.

Main Results:

• The Best NOMOS treatment planning system's DVH accuracy was evaluated.
• Average disagreement between hand calculations and TPS DVH was less than 0.5%.
• Maximum disagreement was less than 1.1% within 1-5 cm radial distance, meeting QA criteria.

Conclusions:

• The Best NOMOS treatment planning system's DVH calculations meet established quality assurance standards.
• The software's DVH accuracy is suitable for clinical brachytherapy applications.
• This validation supports the reliable use of the Best NOMOS TPS for brachytherapy treatment planning.