A preliminary analysis of LET effects in the dosimetry of proton beams using PRESAGE™ and optical CT

PRESAGE™ is a solid dosimeter based on a clear polyurethane matrix doped with radiochromic components (leuco dyes). On exposure to ionizing radiation a colour change is generated in the dosimeter, and hence an optical absorption or optical density change that can be read out by optical CT. The main focus of present investigations has been to investigate the possible LET dependence of PRESAGE™ to the dose deposited at the Bragg maxima using proton beam absorbed dose measurements, and the linearity of response of the dosimeter. Proton irradiations were performed using the proton beam facility at the Douglas Cyclotron, Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO) using a configuration that approximates the one routinely used in treatment of patients with ocular tumours. The samples were irradiated with both monoenergetic and modulated proton beams. Optical tomography measurements were carried out with our in-house CCD-based optical-CT system. Initial results for monoenergetic beams show that in PRESAGE™ the measured ratio of the Bragg peak dose to entrance dose is approximately 2:1 whereas the true value measured at CCO is approximately 5:1. For range-modulated proton beams, the absorbed dose close to the end of the proton range, i.e. at the Bragg peak, is underestimated by approximately 20% compared to the corresponding diode measurement. Further investigations are necessary to understand and quantify the effect of LET on PRESAGE™, and to measure the uncertainties related to our optical CT.