2nd Year: SBRT Flashcards
What is a typical lung SBRT prescription?
5 x 10 Gy = 50 Gy
or
4 x 12 Gy = 48 Gy
or
3 x 20 Gy = 60 Gy
What is a typical spine SBRT prescription?
17 Gy in 1 Fx
or
24 Gy in 3 Fx
or
30 Gy in 5 Fx
What is a typical liver SBRT prescription?
40 Gy in 5 Fx (8 Gy/fx)
What is a typical prostate SBRT prescription?
8 Gy x 5 Fx = 40 Gy
We will do…
7.25 Gy x 5 = 36.25 Gy
(sometimes with a sequential boost to 8 Gy x 5 to part of the target)
What is “General Supervision”
Procedure and staff are under control of rad onc and QMP, but their presence is not required during procedure
What is “direct supervision”
Procedure and staff are under control of rad onc and QMP, and they must be immediately available in the department during procedure
What is “personal supervision”
Procedure and staff are under control of rad onc and QMP and they must be present during procedure
Which two reports recommend that QMP should provide personal supervision for atleast the first fraction of SRS/SRT?
TG-101 and MPPG 9
What is the definition of the RTOG and ICRU defined conformity index?
Ratio of volume of prescription isodose surface and PTV volume
What does a conformity index > 1 represent? What about < 1?
> 1 means over-coverage
<1 means under-coverage
What is the major limitation of the conformity index?
It is only a ratio of volumes. It gives no indicate whatsoever about the overlapping of the volumes
For all you know the volumes of the target and the prescription line can be exactly equal, so you get a CI = 1. But in reality the isodose line may be completely offset from the target volume
What is the Paddick Conformity Index? What is the equation for it?
It’s a modified version of the conformity index used to account for the overlap of the prescription isodose line and the target
CI = (TVPIV)^2 / (TV*PIV)
TVPIV is the target volume covered by the prescription isodose volume
PIV is the prescription isodose volume
TV is the target volume
What is the one limitation of the Paddick Conformity Index?
It does not distinguish between overcovering and undercovering
If a value is not = 1, you don’t know if you’ve over or undercovered the target
Pairing it with the Conformity index may help
What is the definition of the gradient index (non-eclipse)?
Ratio of 50% isodose volume and prescription isodose volume. It’s an indicator of dose fall-off
Ideally 1.0, but this is physically impossible
What is the intermediate dose coverage metric? What is the max value for a lung SBRT?
Ratio of volume receiving 50% of prescription dose to volume of the PTV
Should be less that 5-6
What is the homogeneity index?
Max dose in target divided by prescription dose
It’s an indication of the uniformity across the target volume
Eclipse defines the gradient index a bit differently than most reports. How does eclipse calculate it?
Difference of equivalent sphere radii of prescription and 50% isodose lines
(unit is cm)
What are the uses of W1 and W2 in SFD?
Excellent for Relative measurements (profiles, PDD, TMR, output factors, etc) since they do not require a correction factor
Can be used in absolute dosimetry only if temperature and energy corrections are applied to keep uncertainty below 2%
How does the uncorrected W1 and W2 SFD output factor measurements compare with corrected output factor measurements of other detectors?
Agrees within 0.5%
Suggesting that W1 and W2 don’t need a small field correction factor
Per TRS 483, what is the Exradin W1 field output correction factor for any field setting for CK, Tomo, Cone or MLC?
1.000
Which two reports are referenced for Truebeam SRS/SBRT QA?
TG-142 and MPPG9a
Per MPPG 9a and TG-142, what daily QA tests should be performed for a stereotactic program with Truebeam? What are tolerances? (7)
- Laser localization (1 mm)
- Collimator size indicator (1 mm)
- Radiation Isocentricity (cone and MLC) (1 mm)
- IGRT positioning (1 mm)
- Safety interlocks (functionality)
- Output constancy (+- 3%)
- ODI @iso (2 mm)
**Keep in mind: **These are our tolerances, which are the most strict of either TG-142 or MPPG 9a. The individual reports differ in values
Per MPPG 9a and TG-142, what monthly QA tests should be performed for a stereotactic program with Truebeam? What are tolerances? (7)
- Radiation isocentricity (1 mm)
- Couch positioning indicators (1mm or 0.5 deg)
- Output constancy (+- 2%)
- Laser localization (1 mm)
- MLC travel speed (0.5 cm/s below max)
- Leaf position accuracy (0.5 mm)
- IQ metrics (baseline or < 1 mm)
Per only MPPG9a what are the minimum recommended annual QA tests for a stereotactic program, and their tolerances at our site? (7)
- SRS Arc Rotation mode (MU units set vs delivered: 1 MU, gantry arc set vs delivered: 1 deg)
- MU Linearity (+-5% (2-4 MU), +- 2% (>= 5 MU)
- Accelerator output (+-1%)
- Coincidence of rad and mech isocenter (+- 1mm)
- Verification of small-field beam data from baseline (1%)
- E2E localization hidden target (1 mm)
- E2E dosimetric test (+- 5% measured vs calc)
What is the MLC transmission test tolerance from baseline? When is it performed?
+- 0.5% from baseline
Annual
What is the MLC spoke shot tolerance? When is it performed? Which report recommends it?
< 1 mm radius
Annual
TG-142
What are the three possible conditions that, if one is met, makes a small field?
- Loss of LCPE
- Partial occlusion of the primary photon source
- Detector size being too large
To achieve LCPE at central axis, what is the minimum field size (defined by FWHM) that a field must meet?
2r_LCPE
Where r_LCPE is derived from either %DD(10,10)x or TPR_20,10(10)
(both of which require field size 10 x 10 cm2)
Given a detector diameter ‘d’, what is the minimum FWHM of the side of a field for it to NOT be considered small field?
FWHM >= 2r_LCPE + d
That is to say, if there is not lateral charged particle equilibrium in the area of the field with the detector, then it’s a small field
For intermediate and broad fields, how is field size defined? What about small fields?
Non-small fields: 50% isodose OR jaw settings since they agree closely with one another
Small fields: FWHM
When partial occlusion occurs, does FWHM become larger or smaller than the field size setting?
Larger
This effect is called “penumbra broadening” or “apparent field widening”
What is the machine-specific reference field?
It’s a field size (large possible field size), that is used as reference in place of a traditional 10 x 10cm2 for machines that cannot generated that field setting
(Ex. GK, CK, Tomo)
What is the output factor in SFD?
Ratio of absorbed dose to water at a point in a non-reference field to absorbed dose to water at that point in a reference field
If your machine is unable to generate a 10x10 cm2 field, how do you obtain the beam quality factor
There’s an equation
Relates %dd(10,S) to %dd(10,10) where S is the non-standard reference square field
What is the purpose of a correction factor in SFD? How are correction factors measured?
Accounts for difference in detector response for a clinical (non-reference) field, and the msr or reference field. This difference is due to two major components, detector composition and effect on field perturbation, and volume averaging
Correction factors are typically derived from MC
How do you find an equivalent square field for non-square small fields?
Find field size of small field that gives the **same area **as the non-square field
What happens to field energy spectrum as fields get smaller?
Less scatter yields loss of low energy contribution
So the average energy of the field increases as field size decreases
When would you have to daisy chain?
When you don’t have a detetcor that can measure over the range of small and reference fields you want to measure
How do you measure output factor by daisy chaining?
Use the small field detector and its correction factor to measure dose ratios from small field to intermediate field, then multiply by ion chamber dose measurement corrected from intermediate field to reference field
The intermediate field is commonly 4 x 4 cm2 and should be the smallest field that an ion chamber can accurately measure
**Note: **the correction factors are from small to int and int to msr. Meaning, all correction factors get normalized to the intermediate field factor
As charped particle equilibrium is lost, what happens to the ratio of dose and collisional kerma?
D/kcol decreases
This is because the energy released in the volume that escaped the volume is not compensated by energy outside of the volume coming back into the volume
True or False
In a small field, dose will always be less than collisional kerma
True
What is charged particle equilibrium and does it ever truly occur?
It is a condition in which the number of charged perticle energy entering from outside of a volume is the same as that exiting
For photons this is never truly possible due to attenuation with depth, but transient CPE can occur where kerma and dose are proportional
With transient charged particle equilibrium, which is greater, dose or kerma?
Dose
This is because electrons coming in from upstream are greater than what is lost in the volume because of attenuation
Will volume averaging correction factor be greater than or less than 1?
Always greater than 1
This is because you sample lower doses, so your average is lower than the CAX dose. So correction needs to be > 1
What are the two major components of the field output factor for detectors?
- Difference in perturbation due to material of detector
- Volume averaging
For SFD, what is the main limitation of diodes. What affect does it have on diode reading ratio with IC as field size changes?
Diodes are made of silicon, so for high energies mass energy absorption coefficient varies very little. For low energies, mass energy absorprtion increases dramatically and diodes over-respond
As field size gets lower, the scatter contribution decreases, so the field energy increases
So as field size dereases, diodes will under respond relative to ion chambers, and for higher field sizes they will over respond
For shielded diodes, how is the field size dependence minimized?
Shielded diodes tend to filter out the low energy electrons anywasy, so their energy dependence is not as drastic as unshielded diodes
It does still exist to some extent of course, but less drastic
Blue shows shielded diode, green is unshielded
Why for shielded diodes is the output correction factor more drastic than unshielded?
Because the shielding material of shielded diodes causes more density effects than unshielded diodes
Why for ion chambers does the outut correction factor increase as field size decreases, but diodes decrease?
At small fields, ion chambers lose signal due to volume averaging, so the output correction factor has to compensate the loss
For diodes, they over respond due to density effects
What are the pros to using silicon diodes for SFD?
Small
Sensitive (good SNR)
Minimal temperature dependence
What are the cons to using silicon diode detectors for SFD?
- Unshielded diodes over respond in large fields
- Shielded diodes have large perturbations in small fields due to present of shielding
- Angular dependence
- Change in response over time due to radiation damage
What are the cons to using air filled ion chambers for SFD?
- Low sensitivity (size limit constraint and volume averaging)
- Polarity effects
- Difference in stem irradiation (calibrated with entire stem in field, but portion of stem in field changes significantly with small fields)
What are the pros (3) and cons (4) of radiochromic film for SFD?
Pros
1. High resolution
2. 2D distirbutions
3. Self developing
Cons
1. Laborious readout procedure
2. Noisy if low dpi
3. Energy dependent
4. requires time for development
What are the pros to diamond detectors for small field docimstry? (5)
- Small
- Sensitive
- Minimal angular dependence
- Minimal temperature dependence
- stopping power and mass energy absoprtion coefficient ratios of diamond/water are independent of energy
What are the cons to diamond detectors for SFD? (3)
- Recombination leads to dose rate dependence
- Expensive
- Construct of detectors and influence of components on output factors is not entirely known/researched
What is the general spread of calculated uncertainty for correction factors in TRS 483?
For small field sizes uncertainties can reach 2-3%
As field size increases, uncertainties decrease to about 0.5%
True or False
It is generally known that varian gold beam data is not completely trustworthy for small field output factors and scans
True and False
You shouldn’t throw all your faith into it. BUT, if you do your own measurements and they agree with varian data then it’s still a good double check
What is the photon source size for the linac?
It is not one singular value, source size is defined by the algorithm, NOT physical size, and depends on if you collimate MLC or Jaws. It’s essentially a modifier to help the model fit to your measured penumbra (as source size relates to geometric penumbra)
For AAA: x source size is 1 mm and y is 0 for MLC. Both are 0 for jaw
For acuros: x source size is 1.5 mm and y is 0. Both are 0 for jaw
Both models just need to use those values for their calcs, taking into account MLC or jaw transmissions in either direction
Why for PDD to TMR small field conversion can you not use the Khan method?
That method relies on phantom scatter factors
These are very difficult to measure and yield large uncertainties
Also you would need the factors for field sizes even SMALLER than your reference field, so imagine how hard it would be for cones
What is the difference between DLG and transmission factor? How are both measured?
**DLG: **takes into account field size widening due to transmission at rounded leaf end. Measured by having series of MLC defined fields, and a sliding window slit of MLCs. This process models/optimizes one single DLG value to fit the measured data
**Transmission factor: **transmission through leaf banks. Simply block field with A bank and B bank, and compare to open field.
What are the QA tests we perform daily that align with TG-142 and MPPG 9a for required for a stereotactic program? (9 listed)
- Laser localization
- Collimator size indicator
- Radiation isocentricity
- IGRT positioning
- Imaging Subsystem interlocks
- Stereotactic interlocks????
- Output constancy
- ODI @Iso
- OSMS Daily QA
What are the QA tests we perform monthly that align with TG-142 and MPPG 9a for required for a stereotactic program? (7 listed)
- Radiation isocentricity
- Couch position indicators
- Output constancy
- Laser Localization
- MLC travel speed
- Leaf position accuracy
- Image quality tests
What are some other uses of calypso besides prostate SBRT you may see at other sites?
Pancreas - Gating with long exhale and tracking of verticle motion of abdomen
Breast DIBH - two beacons palced on sternum, not implanted, tracks verticle motion of abdomen
Most clinics now don’t use calypso anymore
What is a major inherent limitation to calypso for prostate SBRT?
X,Y,Z and center of beacons relative to isocenter tends to be accurately measured, but angles (pitch, roll, and rotation) are highly variable and fluctuate day to day depending on rectal and bladder filling
How many beacons are implanted for a typical calypso? What is the minimum number of beacons needed?
Typically 3 implanted
Minimum needed is 2
Give a quick general rundown of how calypso works
Board knows where the beacons are relative to the board. It does not know where they are relative to isocenter.
Camera in ceiling knows exact array board position relative to isocenter. Therefore, the system can correlate beacons relative to isocenter.
Beacons are small copper coils with resonate due to RF signal emitted from the board. as they resonate, they emit an infrared signal and are located by the receiving arrays in the board
Why does calypso have a difficult time dealing with pitch, roll and rotation when a couch shift is needed?
Calypso will send LNG, LAT and VRT shifts.
When there’s a pitch, roll or rotation, a shift in the 3 cartesian coordinates are no longer independent of one another, they influence the other.
What are the uses of OSMS for SBRT at our site?
Trick question, there are none
What are the uses of OSMS for SBRT in outside sites?
Possibly breath holds in theory if you can get a nice surface (this is especially challenging in the abdomen as there’s no distinguishable features)
What registration does OSMS use to track surface changes?
DIR
Hence it has inherent large uncertainty, especially when there’s no distinguishable surface features
What TG report gives recommendations on plan and chart checks?
TG 315
When can an image review be useful for SBRT chart checks?
In theory to just double check a registration used on the machine.
This can be especially vital in the instance where a physician accidentally drags the registration and the numbers change, but nobody notices it got shifted. They would then be treating with a very obvious shift in the images which you can notice in offline review.
What image set do you contour normal structures on for lung SBRT and calc off of? What’s a backup?
Ave-IP from 4DCT is the first choice
If that set is bad, you can contour and calc off free breathing (preferrably non-contrast)
What image set does the physician draw ITV off of for a lung 4DCT? Two methods.
First method: use MIP and draw using what they see
Second method: play the 4DCT and go off the tumor motion to draw the ITV
Per TG-179, what are some typical doses for…
kV planar
MV planar
kV CBCT
MV CBCT
CT Sim
CT On Rails
Fan Beam MVCT
kV planar: 0.5 - 1mGy
MV planar: 1-3cGy
kV CBCT - 0.2 - 2 cGy
MV CBCT - 3 - 10 cGy
CT Sim - 3 -5 cGy
CT On Rails - (likely similar to CT sim but a bit lower. Maybe 2 -4 cGy?)
Fan Beam MVCT- 1 - 3 cGy
In tomotherapy, what energy is typically used for Fan Beam MVCT imaging?
3.5 MV
What has more noise, a MVCT or a kVCT?
MVCT due to dose reduction measures
To get a similar quality image, MVCT would have to pump a lot of dose
Per TG-179, what are 5 important components of OBI to check for an IGRT system during routine QA?
- Geometry
- Image Quality
- Image Dose (annually)
- System operations/communications
- Safety