A SiPM based real time dosimeter for radiotherapic beams

This paper describes the development of a scintillator dosimeter prototype for radiotherapic applications based on plastic scintillating fibers readout by Silicon PhotoMultipliers. The dosimeter, whose probes are water equivalent, could be used for quality control measurements, beam characterization and in vivo dosimetry, allowing a real time measurement of the dose spatial distribution. This paper describes the preliminary percentual depth dose scan performed with clinical 6 and 18 MV photon beams, comparing the results with a reference curve. The measurements were performed using a Varian Clinac iX linear accelerator at the Radiotherapy Department of the St Anna Hospital in Como (IT). The prototype has given promising results, allowing real time measurements of relative dose without applying any correction factors. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.