Influence of spatial redistribution of heterogeneities in proton beam characteristics.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the fundamental properties of spot-scanning proton beams and compare them to Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, both with and without CT calibration, using spatially diverse combinations of materials.

Methods: A heterogeneous phantom was created by spatially distributing titanium, wax, and thermocol to generate six scenarios of heterogeneous combinations. Proton pencil beams ranging in energy from 100 to 226.