Radiation damage and recovery of plastic scintillators under ultra-high dose rate 200 MeV electrons (VHEEs) at CERN CLEAR facility

The team investigates the radiation damage and recovery of plastic scintillators under ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) conditions using 200 MeV electrons at the CERN CLEAR facility (VHEEs). Their findings highlight the challenges of accurate dosimetry in UHDR radiotherapy and explores the potential of plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) for research and clinical applications using this innovative beam conditions and modality.

HYPERSCINT, developed by Medscint, is uniquely positioned to address these challenges with its hyperspectral technology, enabling precise differentiation between scintillation and Cherenkov emissions. This innovation enhances dosimetry accuracy, making HYPERSCINT a valuable tool for advancing UHDR radiotherapy research and clinical implementation, including VHEEs.

Physics in Medicine & Biology
Cloé Giguère (1,2), Alexander Hart (3), Joseph Bateman (4), Pierre Korysko (4,5), Wilfrid Farabolini (5), Yoan LeChasseur (6), Magdalena Bazalova-Carter (3), Luc Beaulieu (1,2) | 1. Département de Physique, de Génie Physique et d’Optique et Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval – CANADA, 2. Département de Radio-Oncologie et Axe Oncologie du CRCHU de Québec, CHU de Québec, Université Laval – CANADA, 3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria – CANADA, 4. Department of Physics, University of Oxford – UK, 5. CERN – SWITZERLAND, 6. Medscint – CANADA

Field output correction factors using a fully characterized plastic scintillation detector (HYPERSCINT)

As small fields become increasingly important in radiation therapy, accurate dosimetry is essential for ensuring precise dose calculation and treatment optimization. Despite the availability of small volume detectors, small field dosimetry remains challenging. The new plastic scintillation detector (PSD) from the HYPERCINT RP-200 platform from Medscint offers a promising solution with minimal correction requirements for small field measurements.

This study focused on characterizing the field output correction factors of the PSD across a wide range of field sizes and demonstrating its potential for determining correction factors for other small field detectors. Monte Carlo simulations and experimental comparisons were used to assess the system’s performance. The PSD exhibited near-unity correction factors (1.002 to 0.999) across field sizes between 0.6×0.6 cm² and 30×30 cm², with an impressive total uncertainty of 0.5%.

The PSD is shown to be a highly accurate and reliable detector for small field dosimetry, and it can also be used to determine correction factors for other dosimeters with great precision.

MEDICAL PHYSICS (AAPM)
Luc Gingras (1,2), Yunuen Cervantes (1,2,3), Frederic Beaulieu (1,2), Magali Besnier (1,2), Benjamin Coté (4), Simon Lambert-Girard (4), Danahé LeBlanc (4), Yoan LeChasseur (4), François Therriault-Proulx (4), Luc Beaulieu (1,2,3), Louis Archambault (1,2,3) | 1. CHU de Québec–Université Laval, Québec – Canada, 2. Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Québec – Canada, 3. Université Laval, Québec – Canada, 4. Medscint, Québec – Canada

Characterization of a multi-point scintillation dosimetry research platform for a low-field MR-Linac

Plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) are attractive for enhancing MRI-guided radiation therapy (MRgRT). A study evaluating the HYPERSCINT RP-200, a multi-probe PSD system, demonstrated excellent repeatability and minimal deviation in performance metrics such as detector response and percent depth dose (PDD). PSDs maintained consistent linearity across a broad range of monitor units and showcased high accuracy in gating experiments (ex. gating experiments where 400 cGy were delivered to isocenter : < 0.8 cGy variation for central axis measures and < 0.7 cGy for the gradient sampled region). These results highlight PSDs' huge potential in improving the precision and reliability of MRgRT, especially in complex real-time applications.

MEDICAL PHYSICS
Jennie Crosby (1), Chase Ruff (1), Ken Gregg (1), Jonathan Turcotte (2), Carri Glide-Hurst (1) | 1. Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 2. Medscint, Québec, Quebec, Canada

Evaluation of the HYPERSCINT scintillation dosimetry platform for small-field characterization of a Leksell GAMMA KNIFE

The performance of the HYPERSCINT RP-200 with the 0.5mm x 0.5mm detector was evaluated for the characterization of small radiation fields administered using a Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion radiosurgery device. Overall, our results show that the detector response was in close agreement with Gamma Knife Monte Carlo reference data and film measurements. Based on the obtained results, the plastic scintillation detector shows the potential for rapid validation of output factors and validation of film measurements as well its use in challenging small-field situations encountered with the Gamma Knife.

ISRS 2024 – New York
Mathieu GUILLOT (1), Patrick DELAGE (1), Vincent HUBERT-TREMBLAY (1), Francois THERRIAULT-PROULX (2), Danahé LEBLANC (2) | CHUS – Sherbrooke, Canada, Medscint – Québec, Canada

Characterization of a novel time-resolved, real-time scintillation dosimetry system (HYPERSCINT RP-FLASH) for ultra-high dose rate radiation therapy applications

This study evaluates a novel scintillation dosimetry solution developed by Medscint for ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) radiotherapy, the HYPERSCINT RP-FLASH. The system was tested on an UHDR electron beamline, demonstrating dose linearity and independence from dose rate (1.8–1341 Gy/s) and dose per pulse (0.005–7.68 Gy) within ±3% tolerance. The system accurately measured doses per pulse up to 120 Hz.

With daily calibrations and specific correction factors, the system provides real-time, millisecond-resolved dosimetric measurements for pulsed conventional and UHDR beams, showing promise for applications in FLASH-RT.

PREPRINT
Alexander Baikalov (1,2,3), Daline Tho (1), Kevin Liu (1,4), Stefan Bartzsch (2,3), Sam Beddar (1,4), Emil Schüler (1,4) | 1. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX – USA, 2. Technical University of Munich – Germany, 3. German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg – Germany, 4. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX – USA

Characterization of a 0.8 mm³ Medscint Plastic Scintillator Detector System for Small Field Dosimetry

The scintillator-based dosimetry system HYPERSCINT RP-200, coupled with a 0.8 mm³ plastic scintillator detector, demonstrated excellent dosimetric properties for small field radiation therapy, including good repeatability, dose linearity, and accuracy down to field sizes as small as 0.5 × 0.5 cm².

Physics in Medicine & Biology
Elena Timakova (1,2), Magdalena Bazalova-Carter (1) , Sergei Zavgorodni (2) | 1. University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2. BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Island Centre, British Columbia, Canada

Plastic scintillation detectors ready to shine as FLASH radiotherapy gathers momentum.

The team of University of Victoria’s XCITE Lab are using plastic scintillation detectors to provide real-time, small-field dosimetry in their FLASH radiotherapy experiments.

PHYSICS WORLD
| University of Victoria – XCITE Lab, Medscint

Comparison Between the HYPERSCINT RP200 Scintillation Detector and Other Small Field Detectors for 10MV FFF SRS Beam Modelling On a VersaHD Linear Accelerator

Plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) have advantageous dosimetric properties, including small size and energy independence, which make them ideal candidates for small field dosimetry.

2021 AAPM ANNUAL MEETING
J.Morin, JF.Cabana, M.Goulet, D.Theriault | CISSS – Chaudiere-Appalaches, Lévis, QC, CA

Implementation and validation of beam current transformer for Mobetron ultra-high dose rate electron beam monitoring using multi-detector approach

To evaluate the performance of a custom beam current transformer (BCT) as a beam monitoring tool for the Mobetron electron radiation therapy system at ultra-high dose rates (UHDR) using a multi-detector comparison (plastic scintillators, ion chamber and film).

2022 COMP ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC MEETING
G.Famulari (1), K.Zerouali (1), J.Renaud (2), B.Muir (1), JF.Aubry (1), F.DeBlois (1), JF.Carrier (1) | 1 – Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal (CHUM), Montreal, QC, CA, 2 – National Research Council Canada, Montreal, QC, CA