An FPGA Solution for Radiation Dose Calculation

Radiation dose calculation is an important step in the treatment of cancer patients requiring radiation therapy. It ensures that the physician prescribed dose agrees with the dose delivered to the patient. Current methods use software implementing either three-dimensional (3D) convolution/superposition algorithms or Monte Carlo analysis. These software methods create a bottleneck in radiation therapy. The required computation time limits both the accuracy of the calculation and the number of patients whom can be treated. This paper presents a novel FPGA implementation for radiation dose calculation. The implementation is based on the 3D convolution/superposition collapsed cone algorithm (Ahnesjo, 1989). To achieve higher accuracy and performance, the original algorithm has been modified and advanced design techniques were applied. Experimental data demonstrate that the FPGA implementation shows significant improvements over software implementation