A Novel Anthropomorphic Phantom Composed of Tissue-Equivalent Materials for Use in Experimental Radiotherapy: Design, Dosimetry and Biological Pilot Study
Thomas Breslin,
Jason Paino,
Marie Wegner,
Elette Engels,
Stefan Fiedler,
Helen Forrester,
Hannes Rennau,
John Bustillo,
Matthew Cameron,
Daniel Häusermann,
Christopher Hall,
Dieter Krause,
Guido Hildebrandt,
Michael Lerch,
Elisabeth Schültke
Affiliations
Thomas Breslin
Department of Oncology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, 22185 Lund, Sweden
Jason Paino
Centre of Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Marie Wegner
Institute of Product Development and Mechanical Engineering Design, Hamburg University of Technology, 21073 Hamburg, Germany
Elette Engels
Centre of Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Stefan Fiedler
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Hamburg Outstation, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
Helen Forrester
School of Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Melbourne 3001, Australia
Hannes Rennau
Department of Radiooncology, Rostock University Medical Center, 18059 Rostock, Germany
John Bustillo
Centre of Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Matthew Cameron
Australian Synchrotron/ANSTO, Clayton 3168, Australia
Daniel Häusermann
Australian Synchrotron/ANSTO, Clayton 3168, Australia
Christopher Hall
Australian Synchrotron/ANSTO, Clayton 3168, Australia
Dieter Krause
Institute of Product Development and Mechanical Engineering Design, Hamburg University of Technology, 21073 Hamburg, Germany
Guido Hildebrandt
Department of Radiooncology, Rostock University Medical Center, 18059 Rostock, Germany
Michael Lerch
Centre of Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Elisabeth Schültke
Department of Radiooncology, Rostock University Medical Center, 18059 Rostock, Germany
The production of anthropomorphic phantoms generated from tissue-equivalent materials is challenging but offers an excellent copy of the typical environment encountered in typical patients. High-quality dosimetry measurements and the correlation of the measured dose with the biological effects elicited by it are a prerequisite in preparation of clinical trials with novel radiotherapy approaches. We designed and produced a partial upper arm phantom from tissue-equivalent materials for use in experimental high-dose-rate radiotherapy. The phantom was compared to original patient data using density values and Hounsfield units obtained from CT scans. Dose simulations were conducted for broad-beam irradiation and microbeam radiotherapy (MRT) and compared to values measured in a synchrotron radiation experiment. Finally, we validated the phantom in a pilot experiment with human primary melanoma cells.
