Ultrahigh dose rate pencil beam scanning proton dosimetry using ion chambers and a calorimeter in support of first in‐human FLASH clinical trial

PURPOSE: To provide ultrahigh dose rate (UHDR) pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton dosimetry comparison of clinically used plane‐parallel ion chambers, PTW (Physikalisch‐Technische Werkstaetten) Advanced Markus and IBA (Ion Beam Application) PPC05, with a proton graphite calorimeter in a support of first in‐human proton FLASH clinical trial. METHODS: Absolute dose measurement intercomparison of the plane‐parallel plate ion chambers and the proton graphite calorimeter was performed at 5‐cm water‐equivalent depth using rectangular 250‐MeV single‐layer treatment plans designed for the first in‐human FLASH clinical trial. The dose rate for each field was designed to remain above 60 Gy/s. The ion recombination effects of the plane‐parallel plate ion chambers at various bias voltages were also investigated in the range of dose rates between 5 and 60 Gy/s. Two independent model‐based extrapolation methods were used to calculate the ion recombination correction factors k(s) to compare with the two‐voltage technique from most widely used clinical protocols. RESULTS: The mean measured dose to water with the proton graphite calorimeter across all the predefined fields is 7.702 ± 0.037 Gy. The average ratio over the predefined fields of the PTW Advanced Markus chamber dose to the calorimeter reference dose is 1.002 ± 0.007, whereas the IBA PPC05 chamber shows ∼3% higher reading of 1.033 ± 0.007. The relative differences in the k(s) values determined from between the linear and quadratic extrapolation methods and the two‐voltage technique for the PTW Advanced Markus chamber are not statistically significant, and the trends of dose rate dependence are similar. The IBA PPC05 shows a flat response in terms of ion recombination effects based on the k(s) values calculated using the two‐voltage technique. Differences in k(s) values for the PPC05 between the two‐voltage technique and other model‐based extrapolation methods are not statistically significant at FLASH dose rates. Some of the k(s) values for the PPC05 that were extrapolated from the three‐voltage linear method and the semiempirical model were reported less than unity possibly due to the charge multiplication effect, which was negligible compared to the volume recombination effect in FLASH dose rates. CONCLUSIONS: The absolute dose measurements of both PTW Advanced Markus and IBA PPC05 chambers are in a good agreement with the National Physical Laboratory graphite calorimeter reference dose considering overall uncertainties. Both ion chambers also demonstrate good reproducibility as well as stability as reference dosimeters in UHDR PBS proton radiotherapy. The dose rate dependency of the ion recombination effects of both ion chambers in cyclotron generated PBS proton beams is acceptable and therefore, both chambers are suitable to use in clinical practice for the range of dose rates between 5 and 60 Gy/s.