Integration of VMC++ into a Commercial Treatment Planning System

Recently, there has been interest to integrate VMC++ into the commercial treatment planning system at VCU as another Monte Carlo code option, since it has been shown to increase efficiency dramatically without introducing a significant amount of systematic error. Also, independent validation of VMC++ for photon beams is of interest since this has not been performed previously in literature. This study included several tests required to integrate VMC++. Output factor normalization was performed and found to agree with experiment to within 1% for all field sizes except 1x1 cm2. Geometric validation was successful. Dosimetric validation was performed with respect to DOSXYZnrc on a water phantom, resulting in agreement within statistical uncertainty except for slight differences at the surface of the phantom. Dosimetric comparison was made for a head-and-neck patient case, showing that 5% of the voxels did not agree within 2.8% of maximum dose. The ability of VMC++ to compute dose-to-water was compared to an in-house algorithm and found to agree within statistical uncertainty.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Year dc:date.available

2005

Author dc:creator

• Gardner, Joseph Kingsley

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Jeffrey V. Siebers

• Monte Carlo
• validation
• radiation
• TPS
• cancer
• tumor
• algorithm
• phase space source integration
• output factor normalization
• dosimetric
• Physical Sciences and Mathematics
• Physics

Statement dc:rights

• © The Author

Identifier

https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/990

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd-1989