ABSTRACT
Acceptance testing and commissioning of proton therapy systems must be performed prior to use of the system for clinical patient treatments. In the United States, qualified medical physicists are responsible for these activities. Acceptance testing is designed to ascertain that technical performance parameters and functional capabilities of the system meet the specifications of the system. Acceptance testing is performed immediately after vender completes its Verification and Validation (V&V) tests, and announces that the system, or, in the case of a multiple-treatment-room system, one or several rooms, is ready for acceptance testing. A representative of the purchaser, often the physicist that leads the acceptance tests, signs the Acceptance Testing Procedures (ATP) documents upon satisfactory completion of these tests. Commissioning of proton therapy systems will build on acceptance testing to further explore system performance in a wider set of clinical conditions.
