Abstract
The determination of the absorbed dose at a specified location in a medium irradiated with an electron or photon beam normally consists of two steps: (1) the determination of the mean absorbed dose to a detector by using a calibration factor or performing an absolute measurement, (2) the determination of the absorbed dose to the medium at the point of interest by calculations based on the knowledge of the absorbed dose to the detector and the different stopping and scattering properties of the medium and the detector material. When the influence of the detector is so small that the electron fluence in the medium is not modified, the ratio of the mass collision stopping power of the two materials accounts for the differences in energy deposition, and provides a conversion factor to relate the absorbed dose in both materials. Today, all national and international dosimetry protocols and codes of practice are based on such procedures, and the user easily can carry out these steps using tabulated data to convert a measured quantity to absorbed dose in the irradiated medium at the location of interest. Effects due to the spatial extension of the detector are taken into account using perturbation correction factors (see Chapter 25).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
NCRP (National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements), “Stopping Powers for Use with Cavity Chambers”, NCRP Report No. 27 (1961); published as NBS Handbook 79 (1961).
ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements), “Radiation Dosimetry: Electron Beams with Energies Between 1 and 50 MeV”, ICRU Report 35 (1984).
D. Harder, “Berechnung der Energiedosis aus Ionisationsmessungen bei Sekundar-elektronen-Gleichgewicht”, In Symposium on High-Energy Electrons, edited by A. Zuppinger and G. Poretti, ( Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1965 ) 40.
A. E. Nahum, “Calculations of Electron Flux Spectra in Water Irradiated with Megavoltage Electron and Photon Beams with Applications to Dosimetry”, Thesis, University of Edinburgh, U.K. (1976); (Available from University Microfilms International, 30–32 Mortimer Street, London WIN 7RA, order number 77–70,006).
A. E. Nahum, “Water/Air Mass Stopping Power Ratios for Megavoltage Photon and Electron Beams”, Phys. Med. Biol. 23 (1978) 24.
L. V. Spencer and F. H. Attix, “A Theory of Cavity Ionization”, Radiat. Res. 3 (1955) 239.
P. R. J. Burch, “Comment on Recent Cavity Ionization Theories”, Radiat. Res. 6 (1957) 79.
L. V. Spencer, “Theory of Electron Penetration”, Phys. Rev. 98 (1955) 1597.
L. V. Spencer, “Energy Dissipation by Fast Electrons”, National Bureau of Standards Monograph NBS 1 (1959).
N. D. Kessaris, “Penetration of High Energy Electron Beams in Water”, Phys. Rev. 145 (1966) 164.
N. D. Kessaris, “Absorbed Dose and Cavity Ionization for High Energy Electron Beams”, Radiat. Res. 43 (1970) 288.
ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements), “Radiation Dosimetry: Electrons with Initial Energies Between 1 and 50 MeV”, ICRU Report 21 (1972).
M. J. Berger and S. M. Seltzer, “Calculation of Energy and Charge Deposition and of the Electron Flux in a Water Medium Bombarded with 20 MeV Electrons”, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 161 (1969) 8.
Berger, M.J., As cited in AAPM (1983).
ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements), “Stopping Powers for Electrons and Positrons”, ICRU Report 37 (1984).
M. J. Berger and S. M. Seltzer, “Stopping Powers and Ranges of Electrons and Positrons”, National Bureau of Standards report NBSIR 82 - 2550 (1982).
P. Andreo and A. E. Nahum, “Influence of Initial Energy Spread in Electron Beams on the Depth-Dose Distribution and Stopping-Power Ratios”, Proceedings of the XIV ICMBE and VII ICMP, Espoo, Finland (1985) 608.
P. Andreo and A. E. Nahum, “Stopping-Power Ratio for a Photon Spectrum as a Weighted Sum of the Values for Monoenergetic Photon Beams”, Phys. Med. Biol. 30 (1985) 1055.
L. O. Mattsson, “Comparison of Different Protocols for the Dosimetry of High-Energy Photon and Electron Beams”, Radiother. Oncol. 4 (1985) 313.
NACP (Nordic Association of Clinical Physics),“Procedures in External Radiation Therapy Between 1 and 50 MeV”, Acta Radiol. Oncol. 19 (1980) 55.
AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine)“, A Protocol for the Determination of Absorbed Dose from High-Energy Photon and Electron Beams”, Med. Phys. 10 (1983) 741.
SEFM (Sociedad Española de Física Médica), “Procedimientos Recomendados para la Dosimetría de Potones y Electrones de Energías Comprendidas Entre 1 MeV y 50 MeV en Radioterapia de Haces Externos”, Madrid, Spain, Publication No. 1 - 1984 (1984).
P. Andreo and A. Brahme, “Stopping Power Data for High Energy Photon beams”, Phys. Med. Biol. 31 (1986) 839.
IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),“Absorbed Dose Determination in Photon and Electron Beams: An International Code of Practice”, Technical Report Series No. 277 (1987).
B. J. Mijnheer, A. H. L. Aalbers, A. G. Visser and F. W. Wittkamper, “Consistency and Simplicity in the Determination of Absorbed Dose in High-Energy Photon Beams: A New Code of Practice”, Radiother. Oncol. 7 (1986) 371.
Swiss Society of Radiation Biology and Radiation Physics, “Dosimetry of High Energy Photon and Electron Beams: Recommendations”, (1986).
AIFB (Italian Association of Biomedical Physicists),“Outline of the Italian Protocol for Photon and Electron Dosimetry in Radiotherapy”, Sub-Committee for Basic Dosimetry, Committee for Dosimetry Standardization in Radiotherapy, (1987).
SEFM (Sociedad Española de Física Médica). Suplemento al Documento SEFM no. 1-1984: “Procedimientos Recomendados para la Dosimetría de Fotones y Electrones de Energías Comprendidas Entre 1 MeV y 50 MeV en Radioterapia de Haces Externos”, Madrid, Spain, Publication No. 2 - 1987, (1987).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1988 Plenum Press, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Andreo, P. (1988). Stopping-Power Ratios for Dosimetry. In: Jenkins, T.M., Nelson, W.R., Rindi, A. (eds) Monte Carlo Transport of Electrons and Photons. Ettore Majorana International Science Series, vol 38. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1059-4_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-1059-4_23
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8314-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-1059-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive