Energy dependence and dose response of Gafchromic EBT2 film over a wide range of photon, electron, and proton beam energies

Abstract

Purpose: Since the Gafchromic film EBT has been recently replaced by the newer model EBT2, its characterization, especially energy dependence, has become critically important. The energy dependence of the dose response of Gafchromic EBT2 film is evaluated for a broad range of energies from different radiation sources used in radiation therapy.

Methods: The beams used for this study comprised of kilovoltage x rays (75, 125, and 250 kVp), 137Cs gamma (662 KeV), 60Co gamma (1.17-1.33 MeV), megavoltage x rays (6 and 18 MV), electron beams (6 and 20 MeV), and proton beams (100 and 250 MeV). The film's response to each of the above energies was measured over the dose range of 0.4-10 Gy, which corresponds to optical densities ranging from 0.05 to 0.74 for the film reader used.

Results: The energy dependence of EBT2 was found to be relatively small within measurement uncertainties (1 sigma = +/- 4.5%) for all energies and modalities.

Conclusion: For relative and absolute dosimetry of radiation therapy beams, the weak energy dependence of the EBT2 makes it most suitable for clinical use compared to other films.