SCIENTIOMETRIC REVIEW OF SCALING FACTORS FOR DEPTH AND FLUENCY OF DOSIMETRIC PHANTOMS MADE OF PLASTIC MATERIALS
Scientiometric review of scaling factors for depth and fluency of dosimetric phantoms made of plastic materials
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i2.2025.1214Keywords:
Radiotherapy, Phantom, Scaling Factors, Dosimetry, ElectronsAbstract
This article presents a scientometric analysis of the scaling factors for depth (cpl) and fluence (hpl) in thermoplastic materials used in dosimetric phantoms, based on data from Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct (2015–2025). Out of the 89 identified articles, 6 were selected. An increase in publications was observed during the periods 2015–2017, 2018–2020 e 2021–2023. Iran led with 50% of the studies, followed by Brazil, South Korea, and Greece (16.67% each). The most cited material was RW3 (polystyrene with 2.1% ± 0.2% TiO₂, also know as Goettingen White Water), appearing in 50% of the articles. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), SP34 (white polystyrene (C₈H₈) with a small percentage of titanium dioxide (TiO₂)), Lucite (a brand name for the synthetic plastic polymethyl methacrylate), and PLA (polylactic acid) were each addressed in 16.67% of the studies. The densities were as follows: PLA (1.240 g/cm³), PMMA (1.130 g/cm³), Lucite (1.190 g/cm³), RW3 and SP34 (1.045 g/cm³). The electron density was 3.940 and 1.01 (el/cm³ × 10²³) for PLA and SP34, respectively. The Hounsfield Unit (HU) value for PLA was 180±30. All studies were experimental, with one employing Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for validation. The scaling values for cpl and hpl were: PLA (0.946/1.050), PMMA (0.960/0.954), Lucite (0.941), RW3 (0.930/1.001), and SP34 (0.923/1.019). The scientometric analysis helps identify trends and impacts, optimizing resources in oncological research and promoting the development of more effective and accessible techniques for treating superficial tumors and relative dosimetry.
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