Improvements in Monte Carlo simulation of large electron fields

Two Monte Carlo systems, EGSnrc and Geant4, were used to calculate dose distributions in large electron fields used in radiotherapy. Source and geometry parameters were adjusted to match calculated results with measurement. Both codes were capable of accurately reproducing the measured dose distributions of the 6 electron beams available on the accelerator. Depth penetration was matched to 0.1 cm. Depth dose curves generally agreed to 2% in the build-up region, although there is an additional 23% experimental uncertainty in this region. Dose profiles matched to 2% at the depth of maximum dose in the central region of the beam, out to the point of the profile where the dose begins to fall rapidly. A 3%/3mm match was obtained outside the central region except for the 6 MeV beam, where dose differences reached 5%. The discrepancy observed in the bremsstrahlung tail in published results that used EGS4 is no longer evident. The different systems required different source energies, incident beam angles, thicknesses of the exit window and primary foils, and distance between the primary and secondary foil. These results underscore the requirement for an experimental benchmark of electron scatter for beam energies and foils relevant to radiotherapy.