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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Implementation and experimental results of 4D tumor tracking using robotic couch

Purpose: This study presents the implementation and experimental results of a novel technique for 4D tumor tracking using a commercially available and commonly used treatment couch and evaluates the tumor tracking accuracy in clinical settings. Methods: Commercially available couch is capable of positioning the patient accurately; however, currently there is no provision for compensating physiological movement using the treatment couch in real-time. In this paper, a real-time couch tracking control technique is presented together with experimental results in tumor motion compensation in four dimensions (superior-inferior, lateral, anterior-posterior, and time). To implement real-time couch motion for tracking, a novel control system for the treatment couch was developed. The primary functional requirements for this novel technique were: (a) the treatment couch should maintain all previous/normal features for patient setup and positioning, (b) the new control system should be used as a parallel system when tumor tracking would be deployed, and (c) tracking could be performed in a single direction and/or concurrently in all three directions of the couch motion (longitudinal, lateral, and vertical). To the authors' best knowledge, the implementation of such technique to a regular treatment couch for tumor tracking has not been reported so far. To evaluate the performance of the tracking couch, we investigated the mechanical characteristics of the system such as system positioning resolution, repeatability, accuracy, and tracking performance. Performance of the tracking system was evaluated using dosimetric test as an endpoint. To investigate the accuracy of real-time tracking in the clinical setting, the existing clinical treatment couch was replaced with our experimental couch and the linear accelerator was used to deliver 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment plans with and without tracking. The results of radiation dose distribution from these two sets of experiments were compared and presented here. Results: The mechanical accuracies were 0.12, 0.14, and 0.18 mm in X, Y, and Z directions. The repeatability of the desired motion was within {+-}0.2 mm. The differences of central axis dose between the 3D-CRT stationary plan and two tracking plans with different motion trajectories were 0.21% and 1.19%. The absolute dose differences of both 3D tracking plans comparing to the stationary plan were 1.09% and 1.20%. Comparing the stationary IMRT plan with the tracking IMRT plan, it was observed that the central axis dose difference was -0.87% and the absolute difference of both IMRT plans was 0.55%. Conclusions: The experimental results revealed that the treatment couch could be successfully used for real-time tumor tracking with a high level of accuracy. It was demonstrated that 4D tumor tracking was feasible using existing couch with implementation of appropriate tracking methodology and with modifications in the control system.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-197: Helical Cranial-Spinal Treatments with a Linear Accelerator

Purpose: Craniospinal irradiation (CSI) of systemic disease requires a high level of beam intensity modulation to reduce dose to bone marrow and other critical structures. Current helical delivery machines can take 30 minutes or more of beam-on time to complete these treatments. This pilot study aims to test the feasibility of performing helical treatments with a conventional linear accelerator using longitudinal couch travel during multiple gantry revolutions. Methods: The VMAT optimization package of the Eclipse 10.0 treatment planning system was used to optimize pseudo-helical CSI plans of 5 clinical patient scans. Each gantry revolution was divided into three 120° arcs with each isocenter shifted longitudinally. Treatments requiring more than the maximum 10 arcs used multiple plans with each plan after the first being optimized including the dose of the others (Figure 1). The beam pitch was varied between 0.2 and 0.9 (couch speed 5- 20cm/revolution and field width of 22cm) and dose-volume histograms of critical organs were compared to tomotherapy plans. Results: Viable pseudo-helical plans were achieved using Eclipse. Decreasing the pitch from 0.9 to 0.2 lowered the maximum lens dose by 40%, the mean bone marrow dose by 2.1% and the maximum esophagus dose by 17.5%. (Figure 2). Linac-based helical plans showed dose results comparable to tomotherapy delivery for both target coverage and critical organ sparing, with the D50 of bone marrow and esophagus respectively 12% and 31% lower in the helical linear accelerator plan (Figure 3). Total mean beam-on time for the linear accelerator plan was 8.3 minutes, 54% faster than the tomotherapy average for the same plans. Conclusions: This pilot study has demonstrated the feasibility of planning pseudo-helical treatments for CSI targets using a conventional linac and dynamic couch movement, and supports the ongoing development of true helical optimization and delivery.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-436: Accelerated Gated IMRT: A Feasibility Study for Lung Cancer Patients

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of delivering a gated Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment using multiple respiratory phases in order to account for all anatomic changes during free breathing and accelerate the gated treatment without increasing the dose per fraction. Methods: For 7 patients with lung cancer, IMRT treatment plans were generated on a full inspiration (FI) Computed Tomography (CT) and a Mid Intensity Position (MIP) CT. Moreover, in order to achieve an accelerated gated IMRT, multiple respiratory phase plans were calculated: 2-phase plans including the FI and the full expiration phases, and 3-phase plans by adding the mid-inspiration phase. In order to assess the tolerance limits, plans' doses were registered and summed to the FI-based plan. Mean dose received by Organs at Risk (OARs) and target volumes were used to compare obtained plans. Results: The mean dose differences between the FI plans and the multi-phase plans never exceeded 0.4 Gy (Fig. 1). Concerning the clinical target volume these differences were even smaller: less than 0.1 Gy for both the 2-phase and 3-phase plans. Regarding the MIP treatment plan, higher doses in different healthy structures were observed, with a relative mean increase of 0.4 to 1.5 Gy. Finally, compared to the prescribed dose, the FI as well as the multi-phase plans were associated with a mean difference of 0.4 Gy, whereas in the case of MIP a higher mean difference of 0.6 Gy was observed. Conclusion: The doses obtained while planning a multi-phase gated IMRT treatment were within the tolerance limits. Compared to MIP, a better healthy tissue sparing was observed in the case of treatment planning based on one or multiple phases. Future work will consist in testing the multi-phase treatment delivery while accounting for the multileaf collimator speed constraints.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

H- Ion Sources for High Intensity Proton Drivers

Existing RF Surface Plasma Sources (SPS) for accelerators have specific efficiencies for H + and H - ion generation around 3 to 5 mA/cm 2 per kW, where about 50 kW of RF power is typically needed for 50 mA beam current production. The Saddle Antenna (SA) SPS described here was developed to improve H- ion production efficiency, reliability and availability for pulsed operation as used in the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source . At low RF power, the efficiency of positive ion generation in the plasma has been improved to 200 mA/cm 2 per kW of RF power at 13.56 MHz. Initial cesiation of the SPS was performed by heating cesium chromate cartridges by discharge as was done in the very first versions of the SPS. A small oven to decompose cesium compounds and alloys was developed and tested. After cesiation, the current of negative ions to the collector was increased from 1 mA to 10 mA with RF power 1.5 kW in the plasma (6 mm diameter emission aperture) and up to 30 mA with 4 kW RF power in the plasma and 250 Gauss longitudinal magnetic field. The ratio of electron current to negative ion current was improved from 30 to 2. Stable generation of H- beam without intensity degradation was demonstrated in the aluminum nitride (AlN) discharge chamber for 32 days at high discharge power in an RF SPS with an external antenna. Some modifications were made to improve the cooling and cesiation stability. The extracted collector current can be increased significantly by optimizing the longitudinal magnetic field in the discharge chamber. While this project demonstrated the advantages of the pulsed version of the SA RF SPS as an upgrade to the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source, it led to a possibility for upgrades to CW machines like the many cyclotrons used for commercial applications. Four appendices contain important details of the work carried out under this grant.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-583: Optimizing the MLC Model Parameters for IMRT in the RayStation Treatment Planning System

Purpose: To optimize the MLC model parameters for IMRT in the RayStation v.4.0 planning system and for a Varian C-series Linac with a 120-leaf Millennium MLC. Methods: The RayStation treatment planning system models rounded leaf-end MLC with the following parameters: average transmission, leaf-tip width, tongue-and-groove, and position offset. The position offset was provided by Varian. The leaf-tip width was iteratively evaluated by comparing computed and measured transverse dose profiles of MLC-defined fields at dmax in water. The profile comparison was also used to verify the MLC position offset. The transmission factor and leaf tongue width were derived iteratively by optimizing five clinical patient IMRT QA Results: brain, lung, pancreas, head-and-neck (HN), and prostate. The HN and prostate cases involved splitting fields. Verifications were performed with Mapcheck2 measurements and Monte Carlo calculations. Finally, the MLC model was validated using five test IMRT cases from the AAPM TG119 report. Absolute gamma analyses (3mm/3% and 2mm/2%) were applied. In addition, computed output factors for MLC-defined small fields (2×2, 3×3, 4×4, 6×6cm) of both 6MV and 18MV were compared to those measured by the Radiological Physics Center (RPC). Results: Both 6MV and 18MV models were determined to have the same MLC parameters: 2.5% transmission, tongue-and-groove 0.05cm, and leaftip 0.3cm. IMRT QA analysis for five cases in TG119 resulted in a 100% passing rate with 3mm/3% gamma analysis for 6MV, and >97.5% for 18MV. With 2mm/2% gamma analysis, the passing rate was >94.6% for 6MV and >90.9% for 18MV. The difference between computed output factors in RayStation and RPC measurements was less than 2% for all MLCdefined fields, which meets the RPC's acceptance criterion. Conclusion: The rounded leaf-end MLC model in RayStation 4.0 planning system was verified and IMRT commissioning was clinically acceptable. The IMRT commissioning was well validated using guidance from the AAPMTG119 protocol.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

WE-AB-BRB-08: Progress Towards a 2D OSL Dosimetry System Using Al2O3:C Films

Purpose: To develop a 2D dosimetry system based on the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C films for medical applications. Methods: A 2D laser scanning OSL reader was built for readout of newly developed Al2O3:C films (Landauer Inc.). An image reconstruction algorithm was developed to correct for inherent effects introduced by reader design and detector properties. The system was tested using irradiations with photon and carbon ion beams. A calibration was obtained using a 6 MV photon beam from clinical accelerator and the dose measurement precision was tested using a range of doses and different dose distributions (flat field and wedge field). The dynamic range and performance of the system in the presence of large dose gradients was also tested using 430 MeV/u {sup 12}C single and multiple pencil beams. All irradiations were performed with Gafchromic EBT3 film for comparison. Results: Preliminary results demonstrate a near-linear OSL dose response to photon fields and the ability to measure dose in dose distributions such as flat field and wedge field. Tests using {sup 12}C pencil beam demonstrate ability to measure doses over four orders of magnitude. The dose profiles measured by the OSL film generally agreed well with that measured by the EBT3 film. The OSL image signal-to-noise ratio obtained in the current conditions require further improvement. On the other hand, EBT3 films had large uncertainties in the low dose region due to film-to-film or intra-film variation in the background. Conclusion: A 2D OSL dosimetry system was developed and initial tests have demonstrated a wide dynamic range as well as good agreement between the delivered and measured doses. The low background, wide dynamic range and wide range of linearity in dose response observed for the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C OSL film can be beneficial for dosimetry in radiation therapy applications, especially for small field dosimetry. This work has been funded by Landauer Inc. Dr. Eduardo G. Yukihara also would like to thank the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for his support at the DKFZ.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Nuclear power plant cable materials :

A selective literature review was conducted to assess whether currently available accelerated aging and original qualification data could be used to establish operational margins for the continued use of cable insulation and jacketing materials in nuclear power plant environments. The materials are subject to chemical and physical degradation under extended radiationthermal- oxidative conditions. Of particular interest were the circumstances under which existing aging data could be used to predict whether aged materials should pass loss of coolant accident (LOCA) performance requirements. Original LOCA qualification testing usually involved accelerated aging simulations of the 40-year expected ambient aging conditions followed by a LOCA simulation. The accelerated aging simulations were conducted under rapid accelerated aging conditions that did not account for many of the known limitations in accelerated polymer aging and therefore did not correctly simulate actual aging conditions. These highly accelerated aging conditions resulted in insulation materials with mostly inert aging processes as well as jacket materials where oxidative damage dropped quickly away from the air-exposed outside jacket surface. Therefore, for most LOCA performance predictions, testing appears to have relied upon heterogeneous aging behavior with oxidation often limited to the exterior of the cable cross-section a situation which is not comparable with the nearly homogenous oxidative aging that will occur over decades under low dose rate and low temperature plant conditions. The historical aging conditions are therefore insufficient to determine with reasonable confidence the remaining operational margins for these materials. This does not necessarily imply that the existing 40-year-old materials would fail if LOCA conditions occurred, but rather that unambiguous statements about the current aging state and anticipated LOCA performance cannot be provided based on original qualification testing data alone. The non-availability of conclusive predictions for the aging conditions of 40-year-old cables implies that the same levels of uncertainty will remain for any re-qualification or extended operation of these cables. The highly variable aging behavior of the range of materials employed also implies that simple, standardized aging tests are not sufficient to provide the required aging data and performance predictions for all materials. It is recommended that focused studies be conducted that would yield the material aging parameters needed to predict aging behaviors under low dose, low temperature plant equivalent conditions and that appropriately aged specimens be prepared that would mimic oxidatively-aged 40- to 60- year-old materials for confirmatory LOCA performance testing. This study concludes that it is not sufficient to expose materials to rapid, high radiation and high temperature levels with subsequent LOCA qualification testing in order to predictively quantify safety margins of existing infrastructure with regard to LOCA performance. We need to better understand how cable jacketing and insulation materials have degraded over decades of power plant operation and how this aging history relates to service life prediction and the performance of existing equipment to withstand a LOCA situation.

Celina, Mathias C.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Application of FARM to an IES scenario within the FORCE ecosystem

The FARM (Feasible Actuator Range Modifier) software module is a component of the RAVEN-based FORCE framework for analysis of Integrated Energy Systems (IES). FARM supports the HERON software module in the evaluation of the optimal dispatch by evaluating feasible set-points for the different IES unit components. Set-points are required to satisfy limits on both production variables (i.e., the variables to be optimized such as the electrical power, the hydrogen production rate, etc.) and process variables tied to the service life of equipment (e.g., steam flowrate, vessel pressure, turbine firing temperature, etc.). This problem is addressed by adopting a two-stage approach. First, the HERON power dispatcher determines set-points that meet the constraints on the former variables (e.g., power levels and power ramp rate limits). These constraints are called explicit constraints. Then, FARM adjusts these set-points to ensure the respect of the limits on the latter variables given the knowledge of the system physics acquired through machine learning algorithms. These constraints are called implicit constraints. From this standpoint, FARM constitutes a bridge between the HERON power dispatcher that adopts a simplified description of the IES unit (low-resolution physics) and the HYBRID high-fidelity models (high-resolution physics). The original version of the FARM software module (FARM-Alpha) was released by Argonne National Laboratory in January 2021. In the latest version of the code released in July 2022 (FARM-Delta), the Reference Governor (RG) algorithm was upgraded to a Multi-Input Multi-Output version from its original Single-Input Single-Output form. The RG algorithm acts to enforce constraints. With this improvement an IES unit is now treated as a single dynamic system from the standpoint of control. The crosstalk among components in an IES unit is now fully considered thereby ensuring a true optimization is obtained for those units that have multiple set-points. In this report, the capabilities of FARM-Delta operating within the FORCE ecosystem are demonstrated for an IES test case. The specific configuration of IES unit for this case was selected by the IES team with consultation from the Advanced Reactor IES Expert Group. A full TEA analysis that invoked HERON, HYBRID, FARM, and RAVEN was performed and serves to demonstrate how the latest modification to FARM algorithms (i.e., state variable selection, state-space matrices derivation, set-point verification) can shape setpoints that might otherwise compromise the health of equipment through accelerated wear and tear. In this specific test case, it was demonstrated that these algorithms ensure a more efficient utilization of steam resources to be shared by two different subsystems, namely Balance of Plant (BOP) and High-Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE). Finally, some code improvements that can further enhance the user-friendliness are suggested.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-355: A Comparative Study of Robotic and Linac-Based Stereotactitc Body Radiation Therapy for Lumbar Spinal Tumors

Purpose: Dosimetrically compare CyberKnife (CK) and linac-based (LB) stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plans for lumbar spine. Methods: Ten patient plans with lumbar spine tumors treated with CK were selected and retrospectively optimized using three techniques: CK, volumetric modulated arc (VMAT, three arcs), and 9-field-intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). For the LB plans, the target volume was expanded by 1mm to accommodate additional uncertainty in patient positioning. All plans were optimized to a prescription dose of 27Gy in 3 fractions covering 90% of the PTV. If the dose constraints to the cauda equina (cauda) were not met, the prescription dose was lowered to 24Gy. Parameters evaluated included Paddick Conformity-Index (CI) and Gradient-Index (GI). A two-tailed paired t-test was used to establish statistically significant differences in cauda doses. Results: Target volumes for LB plans were on average 38% larger. In terms of the indices, the closer the index values to unity the steeper the dose falloff and the higher the dose conformity to the target. The results showed that LB plans were in general statistically superior to CK plans. The IMRT plan showed the best average gradient index of 2.995, with VMAT and CK GI values of 3.699 and 5.476, respectively. Similarly, the same trend occurs with the average CI results: 0.821, 0.814, and 0.758, corresponding to IMRT, VMAT, and CK. Notably, in one CK plan the target dose was reduced to 24Gy to meet cauda constraints. Additionally, there was a statistically significant dose difference for the cauda between the CK and LB plans. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that LB plans for lumbar spine SBRT can be as effective or even better than CK plans. Despite the expansion of the target volume, the LB plans did not demonstrate dosimetric inferiority. The LB plans Resultin 2-to-3 fold decrease of treatment time.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2012

High resolution stationary digital breast tomosynthesis using distributed carbon nanotube x-ray source array

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of increasing the system spatial resolution and scanning speed of Hologic Selenia Dimensions digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) scanner by replacing the rotating mammography x-ray tube with a specially designed carbon nanotube (CNT) x-ray source array, which generates all the projection images needed for tomosynthesis reconstruction by electronically activating individual x-ray sources without any mechanical motion. The stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) design aims to (i) increase the system spatial resolution by eliminating image blurring due to x-ray tube motion and (ii) reduce the scanning time. Low spatial resolution and long scanning time are the two main technical limitations of current DBT technology. Methods: A CNT x-ray source array was designed and evaluated against a set of targeted system performance parameters. Simulations were performed to determine the maximum anode heat load at the desired focal spot size and to design the electron focusing optics. Field emission current from CNT cathode was measured for an extended period of time to determine the stable life time of CNT cathode for an expected clinical operation scenario. The source array was manufactured, tested, and integrated with a Selenia scanner. An electronic control unit was developed to interface the source array with the detection system and to scan and regulate x-ray beams. The performance of the s-DBT system was evaluated using physical phantoms. Results: The spatially distributed CNT x-ray source array comprised 31 individually addressable x-ray sources covering a 30 angular span with 1 pitch and an isotropic focal spot size of 0.6 mm at full width at half-maximum. Stable operation at 28 kV(peak) anode voltage and 38 mA tube current was demonstrated with extended lifetime and good source-to-source consistency. For the standard imaging protocol of 15 views over 14, 100 mAs dose, and 2 x 2 detector binning, the projection resolution along the scanning direction increased from 4.0 cycles/mm [at 10% modulation-transfer-function (MTF)] in DBT to 5.1 cycles/mm in s-DBT at magnification factor of 1.08. The improvement is more pronounced for faster scanning speeds, wider angular coverage, and smaller detector pixel sizes. The scanning speed depends on the detector, the number of views, and the imaging dose. With 240 ms detector readout time, the s-DBT system scanning time is 6.3 s for a 15-view, 100 mAs scan regardless of the angular coverage. The scanning speed can be reduced to less than 4 s when detectors become faster. Initial phantom studies showed good quality reconstructed images. Conclusions: A prototype s-DBT scanner has been developed and evaluated by retrofitting the Selenia rotating gantry DBT scanner with a spatially distributed CNT x-ray source array. Preliminary results show that it improves system spatial resolution substantially by eliminating image blur due to x-ray focal spot motion. The scanner speed of s-DBT system is independent of angular coverage and can be increased with faster detector without image degration. The accelerated lifetime measurement demonstrated the long term stability of CNT x-ray source array with typical clinical operation lifetime over 3 years.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-640: Feasibility of Using a Commercially Available Surface Guided Radiotherapy System with An Open-Face SRS Immobilization System

Purpose: To evaluate the inherent accuracy of using a surface guided radiotherapy system (SGRT) in the setup and monitoring of patients receiving stereotactic radiosurgery with an open-face SRS immobilization system. Methods: An anthropomorphic head phantom was set up using the Qfix Encompass SRS Immobilization System on a Varian Edge with OSMS and Varian TrueBeam with AlignRT. The phantom was positioned at 0° gantry and couch. A reference image was acquired using the SGRT system and an ROI was created over the mask opening. The couch and gantry were rotated to different combinations focusing on clinically used SRS gantry/couch combinations and those blocking the SGRT cameras. Perceived surface deviation by the SGRT system from the reference image was recorded. A Winston-Lutz test was performed on couch angles tested and used to exclude couch walkout. The deviation magnitude was calculated using translational values and rotational raw values were recorded. Results: The maximum couch walkouts were: 0.4mm (Edge) and 0.5mm (TB). Solely rotating the gantry resulted in a median couch deviation of 0.2mm and range of 0.1–0.3mm for both linacs. Only rotating the couch (0° gantry) resulted in median deviations of 0.6mm and 0.5mm with ranges of 0.3–1.0mm and 0.3–0.7mm for the Edge and TB, respectively. Combining gantry and couch rotations, the median deviations were 0.7mm and 0.9mm with ranges of 0.3–1.1mm and 0.2–1.9mm for the Edge and TB, respectively. Including all combinations, rotation, roll, and pitch median deviations ranged from 0.1–0.3° with pitch demonstrating consistently higher values and a maximum deviation of 1.0° (both linacs). Conclusion: SGRT is a reliable monitoring tool, though taking into account system fluctuations, 1mm is too restrictive a site tolerance to use with the Qfix Encompass mask. Gantry rotation has little effect on system fluctuation even with camera blockage, whereas couch rotation has a larger effect.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

SU-E-T-109: Development of An End-To-End Test for the Varian TrueBeamtm with a Novel Multiple-Dosimetric Modality H and N Phantom

Purpose: To develop a comprehensive end-to-end test for Varian's TrueBeam linear accelerator for head and neck IMRT using a custom phantom designed to utilize multiple dosimetry devices. Methods: The initial end-to-end test and custom H and N phantom were designed to yield maximum information in anatomical regions significant to H and N plans with respect to: i) geometric accuracy, ii) dosimetric accuracy, and iii) treatment reproducibility. The phantom was designed in collaboration with Integrated Medical Technologies. A CT image was taken with a 1mm slice thickness. The CT was imported into Varian's Eclipse treatment planning system, where OARs and the PTV were contoured. A clinical template was used to create an eight field static gantry angle IMRT plan. After optimization, dose was calculated using the Analytic Anisotropic Algorithm with inhomogeneity correction. Plans were delivered with a TrueBeam equipped with a high definition MLC. Preliminary end-to-end results were measured using film and ion chambers. Ion chamber dose measurements were compared to the TPS. Films were analyzed with FilmQAPro using composite gamma index. Results: Film analysis for the initial end-to-end plan with a geometrically simple PTV showed average gamma pass rates >99% with a passing criterion of 3% / 3mm. Film analysis of a plan with a more realistic, ie. complex, PTV yielded pass rates >99% in clinically important regions containing the PTV, spinal cord and parotid glands. Ion chamber measurements were on average within 1.21% of calculated dose for both plans. Conclusion: trials have demonstrated that our end-to-end testing methods provide baseline values for the dosimetric and geometric accuracy of Varian's TrueBeam system.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

TU-AB-303-10: KVCBCT, MVCBCT and MVCT On-Board Imaging Suitability for An Urgent Radiotherapy Treatment Workflow

Purpose: A comparison of image quality and dose calculation accuracy to study the suitability of available on-board imaging systems for a new treatment workflow in emergency radiotherapy situations. Methods: Water and anthropomorphic phantom images were acquired on four different Linac on-board imaging systems, including kVCBCT (Varian TrueBeam and Elekta VersaHD), MVCBCT (Siemens Artiste) and MVCT (Accuray Tomotherapy). Simple treatments of single or opposed beams were planned on the respective kVCT images and copied to all CT images. Image suitability for dose planning was based on the overall mean dose differences and 3D gamma index with 3%/3mm criteria for a prescription of 100 monitor units (MU) and differences in calculated MUs per plan for dose prescriptions to mid-plane. Results: TrueBeam kVCBCT and Tomotherapy MVCT images produced most accurate dose calculation for all tested cases (γ-index >95%). MVCBCT and VersaHD kVCBCT images resulted in minimum γ-passing rates of 94% and 87%, respectively. MUs calculated from treatment plans prescribed to mid-plane were within differences of 5% relative to kVCT-based plans in all cases. However, VersaHD images showed considerable local image artifacts in the pelvis water and anthropomorphic neck phantom that complicated accurate Hounsfield unit (HU) to electron density conversion, thus causing local dose differences of more than 10% relative to kVCT-based dose distributions. Conclusion: TrueBeam kVCBCT, MVCBCT and MVCT systems provide image quality that allows for accurate simple treatment plan calculation. Prescription points should be placed away from areas found to cause local dose discrepancies, such as air cavities. Improved image filter settings and HU-to-electron density calibration adjustments may be required for the VersaHD system to obtain an overall accurate dose distribution. To evaluate a system’s overall suitability, its clinical features also require consideration, such as imaging field of view, acquisition time and the ability to instantly export images for treatment planning.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2014

Measurement of time delays in gated radiotherapy for realistic respiratory motions

Purpose: Gated radiotherapy is used to reduce internal motion margins, escalate target dose, and limit normal tissue dose; however, its temporal accuracy is limited. Beam-on and beam-off time delays can lead to treatment inefficiencies and/or geographic misses; therefore, AAPM Task Group 142 recommends verifying the temporal accuracy of gating systems. Many groups use sinusoidal phantom motion for this, under the tacit assumption that use of sinusoidal motion for determining time delays produces negligible error. The authors test this assumption by measuring gating time delays for several realistic motion shapes with increasing degrees of irregularity. Methods: Time delays were measured on a linear accelerator with a real-time position management system (Varian TrueBeam with RPM system version 1.7.5) for seven motion shapes: regular sinusoidal; regular realistic-shape; large (40%) and small (10%) variations in amplitude; large (40%) variations in period; small (10%) variations in both amplitude and period; and baseline drift (30%). Film streaks of radiation exposure were generated for each motion shape using a programmable motion phantom. Beam-on and beam-off time delays were determined from the difference between the expected and observed streak length. Results: For the system investigated, all sine, regular realistic-shape, and slightly irregular amplitude variation motions had beam-off and beam-on time delays within the AAPM recommended limit of less than 100 ms. In phase-based gating, even small variations in period resulted in some time delays greater than 100 ms. Considerable time delays over 1 s were observed with highly irregular motion. Conclusions: Sinusoidal motion shapes can be considered a reasonable approximation to the more complex and slightly irregular shapes of realistic motion. When using phase-based gating with predictive filters even small variations in period can result in time delays over 100 ms. Clinical use of these systems for patients with highly irregular patterns of motion is not advised due to large beam-on and beam-off time delays.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

SU-E-P-55: The Reaserch of Cervical Cancer Delivered with Constant Dose Rate and Gantry Speed Arc Therapy(CDR-CAS-IMAT) On Conventional Linac

Purpose: Postoperative cervical cancer patients with large target volume and the target shape is concave, treatmented with static intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is time consuming. The purpose of this study is to investigate using constant dose rate and gantry speed arc therapy(CDR-CAS-IMAT) on conventional linear accelrator, by comparing with the IMRT technology to evaluate the performance of CDR-CAS-IMAT on postoperative cervical cancer patients. Methods: 18 cervical cancer patients treated with IMRT on Varian 23IX were replanted using CDR-CAS-IMAT. The plans were generated on Oncentra v4.1 planning system, PTV was prescribed to 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions. Plans were evaluated based on the ability to meet the dose volume histogram. The homogeneity index (HI), conformity index (CI) of target volume, the dose of organs at risk, radiation delivery time and monitor units were also compared. SPSS 19.0 software paired T-test analysis was carried out on the two sets of data. Results: Compared with the IMRT plans PTV’s CI (t= 3.85, P =0.001), CTV’s CI, HI, D90, D95, D98, V95, V98, V100 (t=4.21, −3.18, 2.13, 4.65, 7.79, 2.29, 6.00, 2.13, p=0.001, 0.005, 0.049, 0.000, 0.000, 0.035, 0.000, 0.049), and cord D2 and rectum V40 (t=−2.65, −2.47, p= P =0.017, 0.025), and treatment time and MU (t=−36.0, −6.26, P =0.000, 0.000) were better than that of IMRT group. But the IMRT plans in terms of decreasing bladder V50, bowel V30 (t=2.14, 3.00, P =0.048, 0.008) and low dose irradiation volume were superior to that of CDR-CAS-IMAT plans. There were no significant differences in other statistical index. Conclusion: Cervical cancer patients with CDR-CAS-IMAT on Varian Clinical 23IX can get equivalent or superior dose distribution compared with the IMRT technology. IMAT have much less treatment time and MU can reduce the uncertainty factor and patient discomfort in treatment. This work was supported by the Medical Science Foundation of the health department of Hebei Province (No. 20130253)

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Engineering PHL7 for Improved Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Depolymerization via Rational Design and Directed Evolution

Enzymatic depolymerization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) has emerged as a promising approach for polyester recycling, and, to date, many natural and engineered PET hydrolase enzymes have been reported. For industrial use, PET hydrolases must achieve high depolymerization extent and exhibit excellent thermostability. Here, we engineered a natural PET hydrolase, Polyester Hydrolase Leipzig #7 (PHL7), through rational design and directed evolution using a high-throughput screening platform. Four new enzymes were engineered with enhanced properties compared with the parent enzyme, wild-type PHL7 (PHL7-WT), and other benchmark PET hydrolases, under the tested conditions. In bioreactors, the exemplary engineered enzyme, PHL7-Jemez, exhibited improved ability to depolymerize amorphous PET film compared with PHL7-WT at 2.9% and 20% substrate loadings, with 37% and 270% higher hydrolysis, respectively, after 48 h. This study develops several state-of-the-art PET hydrolases and demonstrates a directed evolution platform to engineer high-performance enzymes, which can accelerate enzyme discovery toward improved biocatalytic recycling.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-F-T-645: To Test Spatial Anddosimetric Accuracy of Small Cranial Target Irradiation Based On 1.5 T MRIscans Using Static Arcs with MLCDefined Fields

Purpose: To test spatial and dosimetric accuracy of small cranial target irradiation based on 1.5 T MRI scans using static arcs with MLC-defined fields Methods: A plastic (PMMA) phantom simulating a small brain lesion was mounted on a GammaKnife headframe equipped with MRI localizer. The lesion was a 3 mm long, 3.175 mm diameter cylindrical cavity filled with MRI contrast. Radiochromic film passing through the cavity was marked with pin pricks at the cavity center. The cavity was contoured on an MRI image and fused with CT to simulate treatment of a lesion not visible on CT. The transfer of the target to CT involved registering the MRI contrast cannels of the localizer that were visible on both modalities. Treatments were planned to deliver 800 cGy to the cavity center using multiple static arcs with 5.0×2.4 mm MLC-defined fields. The phantom was aligned on a STx accelerator by registering the conebeam CT with the planning CT. Films from coronal and sagittal planes were scanned and evaluated using ImageJ software Results: Geographic errors in treatment based on 1.5 T scans agreed within 0.33, −0.27 and 1.21 mm in the vertical, lateral and longitudinal dimensions, respectively. The doses delivered to the cavity center were 7.2% higher than planned. The dose distributions were similar to those of a GammaKnife. Conclusion: Radiation can be delivered with an accelerator at mm accuracy to small cranial targets based on 1.5 MRI scans fused to CTs using a standard GammaKnife headframe and MRI localizer. MLC-defined static arcs produce isodose lines very similar to the GammaKnife.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

SU-G-IeP4-06: Feasibility of External Beam Treatment Field Verification Using Cherenkov Imaging

Purpose: Cherenkov light emission has been shown to correlate with ionizing radiation (IR) dose delivery in solid tissue. In order to properly correlate Cherenkov light images with real time dose delivery in a patient, we must account for geometric and intensity distortions arising from observation angle, as well as the effect of monitor units (MU) and field size on Cherenkov light emission. To test the feasibility of treatment field verification, we first focused on Cherenkov light emission efficiency based on MU and known field size (FS). Methods: Cherenkov light emission was captured using a PI-MAX4 intensified charge coupled device(ICCD) system (Princeton Instruments), positioned at a fixed angle of 40° relative to the beam central axis. A Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator (linac) was operated at 6MV and 600MU/min to deliver an Anterior-Posterior beam to a 5cm thick block phantom positioned at 100cm Source-to-Surface-Distance(SSD). FS of 10×10, 5×5, and 2×2cm{sup 2} were used. Before beam delivery projected light field images were acquired, ensuring that geometric distortions were consistent when measuring Cherenkov field discrepancies. Cherenkov image acquisition was triggered by linac target current. 500 frames were acquired for each FS. Composite images were created through summation of frames and background subtraction. MU per image was calculated based on linac pulse delay of 2.8ms. Cherenkov and projected light FS were evaluated using ImageJ software. Results: Mean Cherenkov FS discrepancies compared to light field were <0.5cm for 5.6, 2.8, and 8.6 MU for 10×10, 5×5, and 2×2cm{sup 2} FS, respectably. Discrepancies were reduced with increasing field size and MU. We predict a minimum of 100 frames is needed for reliable confirmation of delivered FS. Conclusion: Current discrepancies in Cherenkov field sizes are within a usable range to confirm treatment delivery in standard and respiratory gated clinical scenarios at MU levels appropriate to standard MLC position segments.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗