Commissioning of Halcyon enhanced leaf model in the Eclipse treatment planning system: Focus on simple slit fields and VMAT dose calculation

Abstract

Purpose

The dual-layer multileaf collimator (MLC) in Halcyon adds complexities to the dose calculation process owing to the variability of dosimetric characteristics with leaf motion. Recently, an enhanced leaf model (ELM) was developed to refine the MLC model in the Eclipse treatment planning system. This study investigates the performance of the Halcyon ELM by verifying doses for simple slit fields and volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans.

Materials and methods

Dose calculations were performed with Acuros XB using the ELM. To commission the leaf–tip model, the dosimetric leaf gap (DLG) was calculated (referred to as DLG_ELM) and compared with Halcyon measurements. The DLGs were assessed under conditions both with and without leaf trailing between the MLC layers. The tongue-and-groove (TG) model was evaluated by comparing leaf–edge profiles and the outputs of the asynchronous sweeping gap. Furthermore, eleven VMAT plans were validated against chamber doses and Delta4 measurements.

Results

DLG_ELM demonstrated variation between layers, measuring 0.42 mm for the proximal layer and 0.23 mm for the distal layer, and showed a correspondence with the measured DLGs in 0.1 mm. Additionally, ELM reduced the discrepancy between calculated and measured DLGs when accounting for leaf trailing. In the TG model test, ELM calculations successfully mirrored the measured leaf–edge profiles. Moreover, the median dose difference between ELM calculations and chamber doses was −0.8% in asynchronous sweeping gaps. In the VMAT dose verification, the incorporation of ELM enhanced the target dose and resulted in a gamma pass rate (2%/2 mm) exceeding 95%.

Conclusion

Halcyon ELM considerably improved the accuracy of simulating actual leaf–tip transmission, both with and without leaf trailing, and it effectively accounted for the additional blocking caused by TG design. Furthermore, the introduction of ELM in Eclipse considerably enhanced the VMAT dose calculation. ELM addresses the limitations of traditional leaf models and reduces uncertainties in Halcyon dose calculations.