Relative Sensitivities and Correlation of Factors Introducing Uncertainty in Radiotherapy Dosimetry Audits

TL;DR

This paper analyzes how different factors in gamma index calculations affect uncertainty in radiotherapy dosimetry audits, highlighting the need for standardization to reduce variability and improve measurement reliability.

Contribution

It introduces a sensitivity and correlation analysis of input factors in gamma index calculations, identifying key sources of variability in dosimetry audits.

Findings

Certain input factors significantly influence measurement uncertainty.

Standardization of measurement settings can reduce variability.

Comparison across audit sites reveals differences in gamma index metrics.

Abstract

Dosimetry audits are carried out to determine how well radiotherapy is delivered to the patient. It is also used to understand the uncertainty introduced into the measurement result when using different computational models. As measurement procedures are becoming increasingly complex with technological advancements, it is harder to establish sources of variability in measurements and understand if they stem from true differences in measurands or in the measurement pipelines themselves. The gamma index calculation is a widely accepted metric used for the comparison of measured and predicted doses in radiotherapy. However, various steps in the measurement pipeline can introduce variation in the measurement result. In this paper, we perform a sensitivity and correlation analysis to investigate the influence of various input factors (i.e. setting) in gamma index calculations on the uncertainty introduced in dosimetry audits. We identify a number of factors where standardization will improve measurements by reducing variability in outputs. Furthermore, we also compare gamma index metrics and similarities across audit sites.