TY - JOUR
T1 - Design and validation of a dosimetric comparison scheme tailored for ultra-high dose-rate electron beams to support multicenter FLASH preclinical studies
AU - Jorge, Patrik Gonçalves
AU - Melemenidis, Stavros
AU - Grilj, Veljko
AU - Buchillier, Thierry
AU - Manjappa, Rakesh
AU - Viswanathan, Vignesh
AU - Gondré, Maude
AU - Vozenin, Marie Catherine
AU - Germond, Jean François
AU - Bochud, François
AU - Moeckli, Raphaël
AU - Limoli, Charles
AU - Skinner, Lawrie
AU - No, Hyunsoo Joshua
AU - Wu, Yufan Fred
AU - Surucu, Murat
AU - Yu, Amy S.
AU - Lau, Brianna
AU - Wang, Jinghui
AU - Schüler, Emil
AU - Bush, Karl
AU - Graves, Edward E.
AU - Maxim, Peter G.
AU - Loo, Billy W.
AU - Bailat, Claude
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Background and purpose: We describe a multicenter cross validation of ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) (>= 40 Gy/s) irradiation in order to bring a dosimetric consensus in absorbed dose to water. UHDR refers to dose rates over 100–1000 times those of conventional clinical beams. UHDR irradiations have been a topic of intense investigation as they have been reported to induce the FLASH effect in which normal tissues exhibit reduced toxicity relative to conventional dose rates. The need to establish optimal beam parameters capable of achieving the in vivo FLASH effect has become paramount. It is therefore necessary to validate and replicate dosimetry across multiple sites conducting UHDR studies with distinct beam configurations and experimental set-ups. Materials and methods: Using a custom cuboid phantom with a cylindrical cavity (5 mm diameter by 10.4 mm length) designed to contain three type of dosimeters (thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), alanine pellets, and Gafchromic films), irradiations were conducted at expected doses of 7.5 to 16 Gy delivered at UHDR or conventional dose rates using various electron beams at the Radiation Oncology Departments of the CHUV in Lausanne, Switzerland and Stanford University, CA. Results: Data obtained between replicate experiments for all dosimeters were in excellent agreement (±3%). In general, films and TLDs were in closer agreement with each other, while alanine provided the closest match between the expected and measured dose, with certain caveats related to absolute reference dose. Conclusion: In conclusion, successful cross-validation of different electron beams operating under different energies and configurations lays the foundation for establishing dosimetric consensus for UHDR irradiation studies, and, if widely implemented, decrease uncertainty between different sites investigating the mechanistic basis of the FLASH effect.
AB - Background and purpose: We describe a multicenter cross validation of ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) (>= 40 Gy/s) irradiation in order to bring a dosimetric consensus in absorbed dose to water. UHDR refers to dose rates over 100–1000 times those of conventional clinical beams. UHDR irradiations have been a topic of intense investigation as they have been reported to induce the FLASH effect in which normal tissues exhibit reduced toxicity relative to conventional dose rates. The need to establish optimal beam parameters capable of achieving the in vivo FLASH effect has become paramount. It is therefore necessary to validate and replicate dosimetry across multiple sites conducting UHDR studies with distinct beam configurations and experimental set-ups. Materials and methods: Using a custom cuboid phantom with a cylindrical cavity (5 mm diameter by 10.4 mm length) designed to contain three type of dosimeters (thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), alanine pellets, and Gafchromic films), irradiations were conducted at expected doses of 7.5 to 16 Gy delivered at UHDR or conventional dose rates using various electron beams at the Radiation Oncology Departments of the CHUV in Lausanne, Switzerland and Stanford University, CA. Results: Data obtained between replicate experiments for all dosimeters were in excellent agreement (±3%). In general, films and TLDs were in closer agreement with each other, while alanine provided the closest match between the expected and measured dose, with certain caveats related to absolute reference dose. Conclusion: In conclusion, successful cross-validation of different electron beams operating under different energies and configurations lays the foundation for establishing dosimetric consensus for UHDR irradiation studies, and, if widely implemented, decrease uncertainty between different sites investigating the mechanistic basis of the FLASH effect.
KW - Dosimetry
KW - FLASH
KW - Intercomparison
KW - Passive dosimeters
KW - UHDR
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U2 - 10.1016/j.radonc.2022.08.023
DO - 10.1016/j.radonc.2022.08.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 36030934
AN - SCOPUS:85137380330
SN - 0167-8140
VL - 175
SP - 203
EP - 209
JO - Radiotherapy and Oncology
JF - Radiotherapy and Oncology
ER -