BRACHYTERAPY
Increasing cancer treatment efficacy using 3D brachiterapy
Informazioni Generali
- Coordinatore:
- ENEA (Italia)
- Responsabile:
- TONI MARIA PIA - FSN-INMRI (CASACCIA)
- Ruolo ENEA:
- COORD
- Sito WEB:
- Sito WEB non disponibile
Programmi Europei
- Programma:
- Settimo Programma Quadro R&ST (2007-2013) -> PEOPLE (2007-2013) ERA-NET actions (N/A - Non applicabile)
Descrizione e Attività
Descrizione Generale
The target of the project is to use the absorbed dose to water as the reference quantity to be directly measured for dosimetry in LDR and HDR brachiterapy.
The absorbed dose is the quantity of interest for dosimetry and radioterapy treatment. The absorbed dose due to the radioactive sources used in brachiterapy is currently not determined by direct measurement. It is determinated indirectly by a conversion procedure in which the absorbed dose is obtained from measurement of air kerma.
In fact , brachiterapy gamma ray sources are currently calibrated in terms of air kerma strenght of reference air kerma rate (RAKR), defined in air at a distance of 1 m from the radioactive source. However, patient dosimetry and algorithms for treatment planning dose calculation are based ont he quantity absorbed dose to water at a distance lower than 1 cm. The absorbed dose to water, Dw, around a brachiterapy source is currently calculated bu applying the formalism of a protocol, published bu Task Group 43 of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). This protocol allows the conversion from air kerma strenght or RAKR to Dw at a reference distance of 1 cm crom the source, located at the center of a cubic water phantom with dimension of 30 cm.
Attività svolta da ENEA
L'ENEA coordina il progetto.