Verification of total body photon irradiation dosimetry techniques

A method of verifying the dosimetry of patients undergoing total body irradiation (TBI) with photon beams having energies from cobalt-60 to 25 MV is presented. A simple set of spot checks at the TBI axis has been used to verify data used for TBI dosimetry. Calculations to verify dose delivered to TBI patients are done in the same manner as those irradiated at standard treatment distances. A simple method of effective field size determination for various anatomical locations in a typical adult is presented. Measurements in an Alderson phantom with thermoluminescent dosimeters and an ion chamber at several anatomical locations indicate that this calculational method can predict the dose along the patient axis to within 4% for 60Co and 18-MV photon beams, provided the dosimetry data are appropriate (as determined by the spot checks). Results of intercomparisons of TBI beam calibration, off-axis and depth-dose data at various institutions visited by the Radiological Physics Center are also presented.