• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.141-146
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• 2001

It is well known that assurance of the radiation therapy needs for an accuracy of $\pm$ 5 % in the delivery of an absorbed dose to target volume. Therefore, the dose evaluation of brachytherapy source and/or linear accelerate beam must be a stability with accuracy. In an advanced country, they recommended to use the radioactive check source for reference air ionization chamber for a stable response of radiation field chamber. In this experiments, the radioactive source Sr-90 and PR-05 air ionization chamber were used for standard source and reference ion chamber. The response of reference ion chamber showed as an 1.000$\pm$ 0.010 uncertainty for 10 years long and the evaliuation f dose discrepancy of clinical field ion chamber showed as 0.997 $\pm$0.011 in a $^{60}$ Co brachytherapy soruce. In our experiments, we can assuarance the long halflife standard source is reliable to preserve the calibration factor of reference chamber in stability.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2007

Purpose: To compare of the accuracy among various measurement procedures of HDR Brachytherapy, and to evaluate the clinical suitability and usefulness of alternative PMMA (polymethylmethacrylateplastics: $C_5H_8O_2$) plate phantom without any additional cost due to the purchase of measuring apparatus. Materials and Methods: We made a comparative study on three types of measuring systems: well type chamber, source calibration jig, and PMMA plate phantom. Farmer type chamber was used for source calibration jig method and PMMA plate phantom method. Measurement was done 5 times each in comparison with the measurement values from manufacturer. Measurement results from experiment were compared with that from the manufacturer which is offered with the source whenever a source is substituted by a new one and evaluate the accuracy of source activity. Results: As a consequence of Ir-192 source measurement using well type chamber, source calibration jig and PMMA plate phantom, RMS (Root Mean Square) values for the relative error are 0.6%, 1.57%, 2.1%, respectively, compared with the data from manufacturer. And the mean errors with standard deviation are given $-0.2{\pm}0.5%$, $0.97{\pm}1.23%$, $-0.89{\pm}1.87%$ respectively. Conclusion: From the results shown by the three types of measurement system (well type chamber, source calibration jig, and PMMA plate phantom), the measurement with well type chamber produced the best accuracy. It turns out that we can also use the alternative system of PMMA plate phantom clinically without purchasing any additional particular apparatus since the system does not exceed the recommendation of AAPM (American Association of Physicists in Medicine), which requires the error range of within ${\pm}5%$.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.7-13
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• 2009

This work is for the preliminary study for the calibration of an $^{192}Ir$ brachytherapy source based on an absorbed dose to water standards. In order to calibrate brachytherapy sources based on absorbed dose to water standards using a clyndirical ionization chamber, the beam quality correction factor $k_{Q,Q_0}$ is needed. In this study $k_{Q,Q_0}s$ were determined by both Monte carlo simulation and semiexperimental methods because of the realistic difficulties to use primary standards to measure an absolute dose at a specified distance. The 5 different serial numbers of the PTW30013 chamber type were selected for this study. While chamber to chamber variations ran up to maximum 4.0% with the generic $k^{gen}_{Q,Q_0}$, the chamber to chamber variations were within a maximum deviation of 0.5% with the individual $k^{ind}_{Q,Q_0}$. The results show why and how important ionization chambers must be calibrated individually for the calibration of $^{192}Ir$ brachytherapy sources based on absorbed dose to water standards. We hope that in the near future users will be able to calibrate the brachytherapy sources in terms of an absorbed dose to water, the quantity of interest in the treatment, instead of an air kerma strength just as the calibration in the high energy photon and electron beam.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.129-137
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• 1984

In brachytherapy, it is important to determine the positions of the radiation sources which are inserted into a patient and to estimate the dose resulting from the treatment. Calculation of the dose distribution throughout an implant is so laborious that it is rarely done by manual methods except for model cases. It is possible to calculate isodose distributions and tumor doses for individual patients by the use of a microcomputer. In this program, the dose rate and dose distributions are calculated by numerical integration of point source and the localization of radiation sources are obtained from two radiographs at right angles taken by a simulator developed for the treatment planning. By using microcomputer for brachytherapy, we obtained the result as following 1. Dose calculation and irradiation time for tumor could be calculated under one or five seconds after input data. 2. It was same value under$\pm2\%$ error between dose calculation by computer program and measurement dose. 3. It took about five minutes to reconstruct completely dose distribution for intracavitary irradiation. 4. Calculating by computer made remarkly reduction of dose errors compared with Quimby's calculation in interstitial radiation implantation. 5. It could calculate the biological isoffect dose for high and low dose rate activities.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.131-139
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• 2000

We designed high dose rate Ir-192 source which was prepared for substitute the Co-60 source in Ralstron unit (Simatsu, Japan) which is supplied for cervical cancer treatment. The source dimension is 1.5 mm in a diameter and 1.5mm thickness of cylinder and encapsulated with 3 mm diameter of stainless steel(SUS316L) to substituted for the Co-60 source size. The Ir-192 source was prepared the dose model for tissue dose computation through the experimental determination of apparent activity and applied the empirical tissue correction factors extended to 20cm distance. The tissue dose model was applied the 4.69 R/cm-mCi-hr gamma constant and the ratio of energy absorption coefficient of water to that of air showed 1.112 include filteration of the self-absorptions. In this experiments, we prepared the dose computation software to clinical usefulness.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.305-312
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• 2008

The aim of this study is to introduce the accuracy of Ir-192 source's apparent activity using the well-type chamber and the Farmer-type ionization chamber in the high dose rate brachytherapy. We measured the apparent activity of Ir-192 that each medical center in the country has and the apparent activity of calibration certificate provided by manufacturer is compared with that by our experimental measurement. The number of sources used for the activity comparison was 5. The accuracy of the measured activity was in the range of -2.8% to -1.0% and -2.1% to 0.2% for the Farmer-type chamber system (Jig) and for the well-type, respectively. The maximum difference was within 1.0% for comparison with two calibration's tool. Our results demonstrate that well-type chamber as wall as Farmer-type chamber is a appropriate system as the routine source calibration procedures in HDR brachytherapy. Whenever a new source is installed to use in clinics, by periods, a source calibration should be carried out.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.2172-2174
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• 2014

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.337.1-337
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• 1999

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.228-236
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• 2002

Purpose : Although high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy regimens have been practiced with a variety of modalities and various degrees of success, few studies on the subject have been conducted. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of local control and late complication rate according to different HDR brachytherapy fractionation regimens in uterine cervical cancer patients. Methods and Materials : From November 1992 to March 1998, 224 patients with uterine conical cancer were treated with external beam irradiation and HDR brachytherapy. In external pelvic radiation therapy, the radiation dose was $45\~54\;Gy$ (median dose 54 Gy) with daily fraction size 1.8 Gy, five times per week. In HDR brachytherapy, 122 patients (Group A) were treated with three times weekly with 3 Gy to line-A (isodose line of 2 cm radius from source) and 102 patients (Group B) underwent the HDR brachytherapy twice weekly with 4 or 4.5 Gy to line-A after external beam irradiation. Iridium-192 was used as the source of HDR brachytherapy. Late complication was assessed from grade 1 to 5 using the RTOG morbidity grading system. Results : The local control rate (LCR) at 5 years was $80\%$ in group A and $84\%$ in group B (p=0.4523). In the patients treated with radiation therapy alone, LCR at 5 years was $60.9\%$ in group A and $76.9\%$ in group B (p=0.2557). In post-operative radiation therapy patients, LCR at 5 years was $92.6\%$ In group A and $91.6\%$ in group B (p=0.8867). The incidence of late complication was $18\%$ (22 patients) and $29.4\%$ (30 patients), of bladder complication was $9.8\%$ (12 patients) and $14.7\%$ (15 patients), and of rectal complication was $9.8\%$ (12 patients) and $21.6\%$ (22 patients), in group A and B, respectively. Lower fraction sized HDR brachytherapy was associated with decrease in late complication (p=0.0405) (rectal complication, p=0.0147; bladder complication, p=0.115). The same result was observed in postoperative radiation therapy patients (p=0.0860) and radiation only treated patients (0=0.0370). Conclusion : For radiation only treated patients, a greater number of itemized studies on the proper fraction size of HDR brachytherapy, with consideration for stages and prognostic factors, are required. In postoperative radiation therapy, the fraction size of HDR brachytherapy did not have much effect on local control, yet the incidence of late complication increased with the elevation in fraction size. We suggest that HDR brachytherapy three times weekly with 3 Gy could be an alternative method of therapy.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.78-85
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• 2010

The compatibility with GammaMed-12i brachytherapy machine for an Ir-192 encapsulated source (IRRS20, KAERI, Korea) manufactured by Korea atomic energy research institute (KAERI) has been investigated. As a mechanical testing of compatibility, precise measurement of step movement with channels, measurement of curvature of radius for wire, and emergency return testing were performed. Periodic measurements of air kerma strength for 45 days were carried out to evaluate decay characteristics of Ir-192 radioisotope and comparison of dose distributions in phantom between KAERI and old sources previously used were performed by film dosimetry. KAERI source has a good compatibility with GammaMed12i machine as a result of mechanical testing. There are in good agreement with calculated values in activity characteristics and there were small differences in dose distributions around the source in comparison between KAERI and old source.