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Optimising treatment distance and treatment area for HDR surface mould brachytherapy

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the effect of treatment area and treatment distance on dose distributions for geometrically optimised surface mould plans in order to provide guidance in choosing treatment parameters and constructing moulds for individual patients. Geometrically optimised plans were generated with a typical brachytherapy planning system and measurements were taken with radiochromic film over depths of 5–32 mm with an 192Ir high dose rate source. Films were calibrated with a cylindrical geometry technique utilising the 192Ir source and readout was performed with a flatbed scanner. The rate of dose fall-off about the prescription plane, as well as the magnitude and extent of local dose maxima superficial to the prescription plane, increased with decreasing treatment areas when inter-catheter spacing and treatment distance were kept constant. The dose fall-off was highly dependent on treatment distance, with a 16 % reduction in dose 4 mm superficial to the treatment depth occurring when the distance was increased from 10 to 20 mm while maintaining a 10 mm inter-catheter spacing. The table generated using the measured planar geometry data, can be used as an initial guide for mould construction and planning. The properties of high dose regions near to the catheter plane are highly dependent on the treatment area, which must be considered when normal tissue dose tolerances are a concern. Treatment distance is a key variable influencing the overall dose distribution and should be adjusted as a function of the desired tumour to skin dose ratio, controlled by mould thickness.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank May Whitaker and Nick Menzies for their assistance with manuscript editing and Dane Pope for producing the calibration phantom schematic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Riverina Cancer Care Centre, 31 Meurant Avenue, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 2650, Australia

    Matthew Sobolewski

  2. Institute of Medical Physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Mamoon Haque

  3. Radiation Oncology, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, NSW, 2050, Australia

    Mamoon Haque

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  1. Matthew Sobolewski
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Correspondence to Matthew Sobolewski.

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Sobolewski, M., Haque, M. Optimising treatment distance and treatment area for HDR surface mould brachytherapy. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 37, 681–689 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-014-0305-6

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