European protocol for neutron dosimetry for external beam therapy

Abstract

A common basis for neutron dosimetry will be one of the essential requirements for the comparison of clinical results obtained at the increasing number of fast-neutron radiotherapy facilities. Co-operation between the physicists involved in fast-neutron radiotherapy has been established in Europe by the High LET Therapy Project Group under the sponsorship of the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer, EORTC. In September 1978, the clinical group decided that the physicists should intensify their contacts and organize a formal co-operation. For this purpose a European Clinical Neutron Dosimetry Group, abbreviation ECNEU, was established. In the United States all groups involved in or planning fast neutron therapy have directly or indirectly participated in the Fast Neutron Beam Dosimetry Physics Task Group 18 of the Radiation Therapy Committee of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Protocols for neutron dosimetry for radiotherapy have been drafted for the European (Broerse and Mijnheer, 1976) and the American groups (Eenmaa and Wootton, 1978). The main items of the two drafts were recently summarized by Broerse et al. (1979). Both groups, ECNEU and Task Group 18, have introduced a number of improvements which resulted in the final draft of the American protocol (AAPM, 1980) and the present contribution. Both protocols quote ICRU Report 26 (1977) as the main source of information on methodology and basic physical data for neutron dosimetry. It should be emphasized that efforts are continuing to improve the data base of neutron dosimetry.