Abstract:
Canadian primary standards for absorbed dose using linear accelerators for radiation therapy
This talk will focus on the primary standards for absorbed dose for high-energy radiation therapy beams that have been developed at the National Research Council Canada. A brief overview of the National Research Council, the Metrology Research Centre and the Ionizing Radiation Standards group will be given followed by a more detailed explanation of the measurement requirements for the accurate delivery of external beam radiation therapy and the primary standards that provide the ultimate traceability for the measurement of the quantity absorbed dose. The operation of water calorimeters and chemical dosimeters will be discussed and contrasted, as well as the calibration chain from these devices, via secondary standard ionization chambers, to the radiation therapy machines in daily use in cancer clinics across Canada.