Impact of different Ir-192 source models on dose calculations in high-dose-rate brachytherapy

Abstract

In high-dose-rate brachytherapy, the geometry of the radioactive source is sometimes updated. Some institutions use a different source model for the dose calculation in treatment planning and treatment. The effects of this discrepancy were examined for four types of treatment plans, and ten patients were selected for each treatment plan. The impact of different source models depended on the types of treatment plan, patients, and dose index. To reduce the uncertainty and improve the reliability of the data, it would be better to use more robust metrics (D90 and D2cc) for treatment planning evaluation in facilities with this problem. Keywords: High-dose-rate brachytherapy, Source model, Dose calculation