Characterization of a Modified Clinical Linear Accelerator for Ultra-High Dose Rate Beam Delivery

Irradiations at Ultra-High Dose Rate (UHDR) regimes, exceeding 40 Gy/s in single fractions lasting less than 200 ms, have shown an equivalent antitumor effect compared to conventional radiotherapy with reduced harm to normal tissues. This work details the hardware and software modifications implemen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Applied sciences Vol. 14; no. 17; p. 7582
Main Authors:	Deut, Umberto, Camperi, Aurora, Cavicchi, Cristiano, Cirio, Roberto, Data, Emanuele Maria, Durisi, Elisabetta Alessandra, Ferrero, Veronica, Ferro, Arianna, Giordanengo, Simona, Villarreal, Oscar Martì, Felix Mas Milian, Medina, Elisabetta, Diango M Montalvan Olivares, Mostardi, Franco, Monti, Valeria, Sacchi, Roberto, Salmeri, Edoardo, Vignati, Anna
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Basel MDPI AG 01-09-2024
Subjects:	Dosimetry electron beam FLASH radiotherapy LINAC Polymethyl methacrylate Radiation therapy Sensors Silicon silicon sensors ultra-high dose rate X-rays
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Summary:	Irradiations at Ultra-High Dose Rate (UHDR) regimes, exceeding 40 Gy/s in single fractions lasting less than 200 ms, have shown an equivalent antitumor effect compared to conventional radiotherapy with reduced harm to normal tissues. This work details the hardware and software modifications implemented to deliver 10 MeV UHDR electron beams with a linear accelerator Elekta SL 18 MV and the beam characteristics obtained. GafChromic EBT XD films and an Advanced Markus chamber were used for dosimetry characterization, while a silicon sensor assessed the machine’s beam pulses stability and repeatability. The dose per pulse, average dose rate and instantaneous dose rate in the pulse were evaluated for four experimental settings, varying the source-to-surface distance and the beam collimation, i.e., with and without the use of a cylindrical applicator. The results showed a dose per pulse from 0.6 Gy to a few tens of Gy and an average dose rate up to 300 Gy/s. The obtained results demonstrate the possibility to perform in vitro radiobiology experiments and test new technologies for beam monitoring and dosimetry at the upgraded LINAC, thus contributing to the electron UHDR research field.
ISSN:	2076-3417
DOI:	10.3390/app14177582