Validation of high-resolution 3D patient QA for proton PBS and IMPT using laser CT of improved polymer gel dosimeters

Abstract

Laser CT scanning of LET-independent BANG3-Pro2® polymer gel dosimeters has recently shown potential in proton dosimetry. However, raw materials' impurities impart some variability. This study aimed to validate a new method of compensating for this variability, and to validate the suitability of the improved dosimeter for patient-specific QA in pencil beam scanning (PBS) and IMPT. Six modifications of the BANG3-Pro2® gel dosimeter were analysed for their sensitivity to proton dose and to LET. One formulation was selected for a clinical QA feasibility study, in which one composite IMPT plan, two single-field IMPT plans, and one SFUD plan were delivered to identical gel phantoms. New commercial VOLQATM software (beta version) was used for data analysis. Both validations were successful.