Dosimetry of Small Static Fields Used in External Beam Radiotherapy: An International Code of Practice for Reference and Relative Dose Determination Prepared Jointly by the IAEA and AAPM

This is the first international code of practice dedicated to the dosimetry of small static fields used in radiotherapy. It provides consistent reference dosimetry, traceable to metrological primary standards, and enables common procedures within a country to be followed. The publication presents an overview of the physics, followed by a general formalism for reference dosimetry in small fields. Guidelines for its practical implementation using suitable detectors and methods for the determination of field output factors are given for specific clinical machines that use small static fields. The development of this code of practice has been done through an international working group, established jointly with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine. Internationally harmonized guidelines in this field will ensure worldwide consistency in dose delivery to radiotherapy patients and will contribute to dose standardization in international clinical trial studies, comparing outcomes of various radiotherapy treatment modalities using small fields.