Measurement-based validation of a commercial Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm for electron beams

Purpose This work presents the clinical validation of RayStation's electron Monte Carlo code by the use of diodes and plane parallel radiation detectors in homogenous and heterogeneous tissues. Results are evaluated against internationally accepted criteria. Methods The Monte Carlo-based electron beam dose calculation code was validated using diodes, air- and liquid-filled parallel radiation detectors on an Elekta linac with beam energies of 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 MeV. Treatment setups with varying source-to-skin distances, different applicators, various cutouts, and oblique beam incidences were addressed, together with dose prediction behind lung-, air-, and bone-equivalent inserts. According to NCS (Netherlands Commission for Radiation Dosimetry) report 15 for nonstandard treatment setups, a dose agreement of 3% in the delta(1) region (high-dose region around Z(ref)), a distance-to-agreement (DTA) of 3 mm or a dose agreement of 10% in the delta(2) region (regions with high-dose gradients), and 4% in the delta(4) region (photon tail/low-dose region) were applied. During validation, clinical routine settings of 2 x 2 x 2-mm(3) dose voxels and a statistically dose uncertainty of 0.6% (250 000 histories/cm(2)) were used. Results RayStation's electron Monte Carlo code dose prediction was able to achieve the tolerances of NCS report 15. Output predictions as a function of the SSD improve with energy and applicator size. Cutout data revealed no field size or energy dependence on the accuracy of the dose prediction. Excellent agreement for the oblique incidence data was achieved and a maximum of one voxel difference was obtained for the DTA behind heterogeneous inserts. Conclusions The accuracy of RayStation's Monte Carlo-based electron beam dose prediction for Elekta accelerators is confirmed for clinical treatment planning that is not only performed within an acceptable timeframe in terms of the number of histories but also addresses for homogenous and heterogeneous media.