ACPSEM guideline regarding the adoption of the IAEA TRS-398 Code of Practice Revision 1

Abstract

The IAEA Technical Report Series 398 Code of Practice for the determination of absorbed dose in external beam radiotherapy was endorsed at the Engineers and Physical Scientists in Medicine (EPSM) conference in 2001 and has been widely adopted in Australia and New Zealand. This guideline provides recommendations from the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) following the recent publication of TRS-398 Revision 1. It is jointly authored by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), the Reference Dosimetry Advisory Group (RDAG) and the ACPSEM Radiation Oncology Specialty Group (ROSG). In addition to recommendations, the guideline discusses the implications of TRS-398 Revision 1 for the dosimetry of megavoltage photons, electrons and protons. TRS-398 Revision 1 is recommended for adoption in accordance with the recommendations provided in this guideline, including for FFF beams. For specialised FFF machines such as CyberKnife® and TomoTherapy®, and for Gamma Knife®, the ACPSEM recommends the use of IAEA TRS-483 Code of Practice. MR linacs are covered by the ACPSEM position paper: dosimetry for magnetic resonance imaging linear accelerators and in AAPM TG-351. For kilovoltage photons, the recommendation to use the AAPM TG-61 protocol for radiotherapy sources is retained and now specifically also includes cabinet irradiators used in radiobiology.