Dosimetry of small photon fields in the presence of bone heterogeneity using MAGIC polymer gel, Gafchromic film, and Monte Carlo simulation

BACKGROUND: The presence of heterogeneity within the radiation field increases the challenges of small field dosimetry. In this study, the performance of MAGIC polymer gel was evaluated in the dosimetry of small fields beyond bone heterogeneity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Circular field sizes of 5, 10, 20 and 30 mm were used and Polytetrafluoroethylene with density of 2.2 g/cm(3) was used as the bone equivalent material. The PDD curves, beam profiles, and penumbra widths were measured using MAGIC polymer gel, EBT2 film, and Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS: The maximum differences between MAGIC and EBT2 are 6.1, 4.7, 2.4, and 2.2 for PDD curves at 5, 10, 20, and 30 mm circular fields, respectively. The dose differences and distance to agreement between MAGIC and MC were within 1.89%/0.46 mm, 1.66%/0.43 mm, 1.28%/0.77 mm, and 1.31%/0.81 mm for beam profile values behind bone heterogeneity at 5, 10, 20, and 30 mm field sizes, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results presented that the MAGIC polymer gel dosimeter is a proper instrument for dosimetry beyond high density heterogeneity.