Year

2022

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

School of Physics

Abstract

In modern radiation therapy, treatment delivery techniques are getting increasingly complex to optimise patient outcomes. In modern radiation therapy clinics, there are conditions where accurate dosimetry is challenging, yet essential to ensure that optimal treatments are being delivered. These challenging dosimetry conditions require specialised dosimeters with a set of dosimetric qualities that allow them to remain accurate in such conditions. Fibre-coupled luminescent dosimeters possess a wealth of desirable qualities that make them advantageous for a wide range of dosimetry conditions. Due to their all-optical composition (i.e. no electronics or wires attached to the sensitive volume) and their typically compact sensitive volume sizes, fibre-coupled luminescent dosimeters have high spatial resolutions whilst minimising the perturbations of radiation fields in water. Dosimetric properties such as water equivalence, energy independence and dose-rate independence are inherited through their luminescent sensitive volumes, allowing for the luminescent material to be chosen to suit the measurement conditions. In this thesis, two fibre-coupled luminescent dosimeters are developed and investigated for two such challenging clinical dosimetry conditions. Firstly, plastic scintillation dosimeters (PSDs) are investigated for dosimetry with MRI-LINACs, a technology that combines an MRI scanner with a linear accelerator (LINAC) to provide the opportunity for real-time image guidance with optimal soft tissue contrast during radiotherapy treatments. Secondly, an in-house fibre-coupled BeO dosimeter is investigated for it’s potential as a real-time in vivo dosimeter during LINAC and brachytherapy treatments.

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Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong.