ES rag Bmvcr E” Buimanne ANpRE BRIDIER Ben MIJNHEER Jim E. SHAW Hans SVENSSON Monitor UNit CALCULATION For HicH ENerGcy PHOTON BEAMS Dot @Rreof) Dop Zar Spefp)MONITOR UNIT CALCULATION FOR HIGH ENERGY PHOTON BEAMSPHYSICS FOR CLINICAL RADIOTHERAPY Booklet No 3. Aims and scope Recognizing the importance of accurate dose determination in radiation therapy the International Atomic Energy Agency initiated a programme in dosimetry of ionizing radiation soon after its formation, In 1968 IAEA, in co-operation with ‘WHO, initiated a regular mail dosimetry service, covering 200 to 400 hospitals annually. Secondary Standards Laboratories (SSDLs) were set up and a Network of SSDLs was established in 1976. The IAEA was also involved in developing and recommending dosimetry Procedures in radiotherapy (e.g. Technical Report Series No. 110 and 277). ‘The present paper suggests procedures for dose monitor determinations to be used when photon beams from 69Co-units or accelerators are used in radiation treatments. The present work was initiated by the IAEA and the first draft was outlined by a consultants’ group in Vienna in December 1992. The members of this ‘group were B. Bjémgard (USA), A. Bridier (France), A. Dutreix (Belgium), B. Mijnheer (The Netherlands), J. Shaw (UK), and H. Svensson (responsibie IAEA officer). Further consultants’ meetings were held in November 1993 (Paris), May 1994 (Belgium) and May 1995 (Vienna). The core part of this report (chapters 5 to 7) is based on papers by A. Bridier and A. Dutreix (Bridier and Dutreix, 1986; Dutreix et al. 1994). The final ideas have been developed during these consultants! meetings and also in meetings sponsored by the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO). A workshop with 110 participants, representing much of the international expertise in this field, was organized by ESTRO (directors : A, Dutreix and H. Svensson) in October 1995 (Italy) to discuss the draft report. Suggestions given at this meeting were introduced in the final draft.