Implementation of an in vivo radiochromic film QA procedure

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Advance treatment techniques, such as IMRT and dynamic conformal arc delivery, are novel radiation treatment procedures at the forefront of accurate and precise radiotherapy. However, the risk of suboptimal treatment resulting in injury is far greater with these techniques due to their complexity. An in vivo quality assurance system is the most appropriate validation of the delivered dose to the patient from these techniques. The intent of this research is to propose an in vivo dosimetry quality assurance procedure using radiochromic film. This research proved that radiochromic in vivo dosimetry is a viable method of detecting spatial patient specific errors in radiotherapy; however, the process is time consuming and not sensitive enough for dosimetric errors associated with weight change. Although time consuming, in vivo radiochromic dosimetry is an attractive alternative for small cancer centers and developing countries without the large startup capital to acquire the electronic portal imaging device necessary for EPID in vivo dosimetry.