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Alanine EPR dosimeter response in proton therapy beams
K Gall1, M Desrosiers, D Bensen
1Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Radiation Oncology, Boston 02114, USA.
Summary
Alanine is a suitable mail-in dosimeter for proton therapy quality assurance. Its energy response is comparable to ionization chambers, with a potential systematic error under 3% for 25 Gy doses.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiation Dosimetry
- Proton Therapy
Background:
- Quality assurance is crucial in proton radiation therapy.
- Mailable dosimeters offer a practical solution for remote quality assurance.
- Alanine dosimetry is a well-established technique.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate alanine as a mailable dosimeter for proton therapy beam quality assurance.
- To assess the dose-response and energy dependence of alanine dosimeters.
- To compare alanine dosimeter performance with a parallel plate ionization chamber.
Main Methods:
- Measurements of alanine dose-response at 140 MeV.
- Comparison of alanine response versus energy with a parallel plate ionization chamber.
- Irradiations conducted at Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory; dosimeters read at NIST.
Main Results:
- Alanine exhibits a reliable dose-response for proton therapy applications.
- The energy response of alanine was found to be comparable to ionization chambers.
- A systematic error due to differential energy response is estimated to be less than 3% for 25 Gy doses.
Conclusions:
- Alanine is a promising candidate for a mailable dosimeter in proton therapy quality assurance.
- The low systematic error suggests high reliability for alanine dosimetry.
- This study supports the use of alanine for ensuring the quality of proton radiation therapy beams.