Developing equations to predict surface dose and therapeutic interval in bolused electron fields: A Monte Carlo Study

In this research, we aim to investigate the influence of different materials, as a bolus, on the low-energy electron beam dose distributions and to develop equations for predicting surface dose based on bolus thickness, as well as the therapeutic interval based on surface dose. All the Monte Carlo (MC) calculations and measurements were conducted on a Siemens PRIMUS linac. Based on EGSnrc MC code, BEAMnrc system was used to model a Siemens linac and generate phase-space files for three electron beams (6, 8, and 10 MeV). The particles were transported from the phase-space files to the bolus materials and the simulated water phantom using DOSXYZnrc. Various materials with different thicknesses were examined as a bolus, and appropriate equations were determined for each material and electron beam. The comparison of percent depth dose (PDD) curves and beam profiles, using MC, with the measured data demonstrated that the calculated values properly matched with the measurements. The results indicated that the use of bolus materials with the density of higher than soft tissue can increase both surface dose and therapeutic interval simultaneously. This finding arises from the fact that the required bolus thickness for achieving the therapeutic surface dose decreases in the case of high-density materials. Two series of prediction equations were proposed for predicting the surface dose based on bolus thickness and the therapeutic interval based on surface dose. These equations are able to calculate properly the bolus thickness required for producing a therapeutic surface dose (above 90%) for any therapeutic interval. - Highlights: • We simulate Siemens PRIMUS linac using the BEAMnrc Monte Carlo code. • We investigate the influence of various materials as a bolus on the electron beams. • We proposed equations for predicting surface dose based on bolus thickness. • We proposed equations for predicting therapeutic interval based on surface dose.