Commissioning of the carbon ion pencil beam algorithm in RayStation 2024A

This study presents the commissioning of the carbon ion pencil beam (cPB) dose calcula- tion algorithm v7.0 in RayStation 2024A at MedAustron. Improvements over the previous version (v3.0) include the RaShi-Airgap model, Trichrome model, and nuclear interaction correction for enhanced dose accuracy. Commissioning covered 1D/2D calibration, spot pro- files, and 3D dose delivery for various geometries and clinical plans. RBE-weighted dose was assessed using LEM-I and MKM models. Absolute dose at R80% showed good agreement across energies, with minor range underestimation (0.1 mm). Spot FWHM differences were within ±0.2 mm. Global dose differences (ΔG ) stayed within ±2% for targets and ±3% for clinical plans, with improved results for beams using RaShi. RBE comparisons between versions showed differences < 0.5 Gy for head and neck and < 1.0 Gy for other sites. The up- dated algorithm improves accuracy and was successfully implemented, enhancing treatment planning in particle therapy. This work was partially funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU through Projects Mission 4 Component 2 Inv. 1.5 CUP B83C22003930001.