Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the effect of the mean energy and FWHM of the initial electron fluence on the Bremsstrahlung photon spectra of linear accelerators

Abstract

A calculation of the correct dose in radiation therapy requires an accurate description of the radiation source because uncertainties in characterization of the linac photon spectrum are propagated through the dose calculations. Unfortunately, detailed knowledge of the initial electron beam parameters is not readily available, and many researchers adjust the initial electron fluence values by trial-and-error methods. The main goal of this work was to develop a methodology to characterize the fluence of initial electrons before they hit the tungsten target of an Elekta Precise medical linear accelerator. To this end, we used a Monte Carlo technique to analyze the influence of the characteristics of the initial electron beam on the distribution of absorbed dose from a 6 MV linac photon beam in a water phantom. The technique is based on calculations with Software for Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis (SUSA) and Monte Carlo simulations with the MCNP5 transport code. The free parameters used in the SUSA calculations were the mean energy and full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) of the initial electron distribution. A total of 93 combinations of these parameters gave initial electron fluence configurations. The electron spectra thus obtained were used in a simulation of the electron transport through the target of the linear accelerator, which produced different photon (Bremsstrahlung) spectra. The simulated photon spectra were compared with the 6-MV photon spectrum provided by the linac manufacturer (Elekta). This comparison revealed how the mean energy and FWHM of the initial electron fluence affect the spectrum of the generated photons. This study has made it possible to fine-tune the examined electron beam parameters to obtain the resulted absorbed doses with acceptable accuracy (error < 1%). (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.