Antiproton radiotherapy: peripheral dose from secondary neutrons

The AD-4/ACE collaboration studies the biological effects of antiprotons with respect to a possible use of antiprotons in cancer therapy. In vitro experiments performed by the collaboration have shown an enhanced biological effectiveness for antiprotons relative to protons. One concern is the normal tissue dose resulting from secondary neutrons produced in the annihilation of antiprotons on the nucleons of the target atoms. Here we present the first organ specific Monte Carlo calculations of normal tissue equivalent neutron dose in antiproton therapy through the use of a segmented CT-based human phantom. The MCNPX Monte Carlo code was employed to quantify the peripheral dose for a cylindrical spread out Bragg peak representing a treatment volume of 1 cm diameter and 1 cm length in the frontal lobe of a segmented whole-body phantom of a 38 year old male. The secondary neutron organ dose was tallied as a function of energy and organ.     

重离子加速器示范装置被动式束流配送系统次级中子特征的蒙特卡罗研究

在碳离子放射治疗中,碳离子束在剂量配送过程中会与束流输运线相互作用,形成以中子辐射为主的外辐射场.由于中子是高LET射线,具有较高的相对生物学效应,减少碳离子放疗中产生的次级中子有助于降低放疗后正常组织并发症几率及二次肿瘤风险.利用蒙特卡罗方法对保守情况(能量为400 MeV/u,多叶光栅完全闭合)下碳离子治疗被动式束...     

Secondary doses delivered to an anthropomorphic male phantom under prostate irradiation with proton and carbon ion beams

Secondary radiation exposure of patients undergoing radiation therapy with light ions is of great concern due to possible tissue damage and risk of induction of secondary cancers.Secondary particles such as neutrons, protons and heavier ions are produced when the primary ions interact through nuclear inelastic reactions with the beam-line components, and with the tissues of the patient.Evaluations of secondary doses delivered to an anthropomorphic male phantom under prostate irradiation with ¹H and ¹²C ion beams with energies 172 MeV and 330 MeV/u, respectively, have been performed with the Monte Carlo code SHIELD-HIT.Fluences of secondary particles with atomic mass A = 1–7 and energies up to 200–600 MeV/u are observed in organs even at larger distances (40–50 cm) from the irradiated volume. The secondary absorbed doses in selected organs are discussed taking into account the dose contribution from secondary neutrons, and the contribution from charged fragments that are not the products of neutron interactions. For ¹²C ion irradiation, a substantial contribution to the absorbed organ dose is due to charged fragments. This contribution decreases from 81% in the organs close to the irradiated volume to 35–40% in the organs at larger distances.     

Assessment of undesirable dose to eye-melanoma patients after proton radiotherapy

Radiotherapy with a proton beam of initial energy 55–80 MeV is presently the clinically recommended therapy for some cases of intraocular melanoma such as large melanomas or tumours adjacent to critical organs. Evaluation and optimization of radiation doses outside the treatment volume may contribute to reducing undesirable side-effects and decreasing the risk of occurrence of secondary cancers, particularly for paediatric patients. In this work the undesired doses to organs were assessed basing on Monte Carlo calculation of secondary radiation transport and on results of measurements of neutron and γ-ray doses at the proton therapy facility of the Institute of Nuclear Physics at Kraków. Dosimetry was performed using a He-3-based FHT 762 neutron monitor (Wendi II), a FH40G proportional counter (for γ-rays), and MTS-7 (LiF:Mg,Ti) thermoluminescence detectors (TLDs). Organ doses were calculated in the ADAM anthropomorphic phantom using the MCNPX Monte Carlo transport code and partly verified, for γ-ray doses, with TLD measurements in the RANDO Anderson anthropomorphic phantom. The effective dose due to undesired radiation, including exposure from scattered radiation during the entire process of proton radiotherapy and patient positioning using X-rays, does not exceed 1 mSv.     

Evaluation of neutron production in new accelerators for radiotherapy

Ambient dose equivalent, H*(10), and personal dose equivalent, Hp(10), were calculated in different points located inside two different treatment rooms. 15-MV Varian and 15-MV Elekta accelerators were used in these studies. The geometry of both accelerators heads and treatment rooms were built up to perform the Monte Carlo simulations. The patient was also simulated using an ICRU phantom. Calculations were done using the MCNPX code. Ambient dose equivalents rates from neutrons range between 1.2 and 419 mSv/h in the Elekta treatment room and between 0.96 and 1140 mSv/h in the Varian treatment room, depending on the location. These values suggest a larger neutron production in the Varian than in the Elekta accelerator.     

Measurement of neutron-induced proton-production energy spectra with NE213 scintillator

Many benchmark data are required for the improvement of theoretical model implemented in a Monte Carlo code for particle transport. To acquire the benchmark data, we measured energy spectra of protons emitted from graphite, aluminum, and iron targets bombarded with continuous-energy neutrons, which enable simultaneous measurements at the incident energies from 100 to 600 MeV at a time. The neutron flux incident on the target was measured with a ²³⁸U fission ionization chamber. Protons emitted from the target were measured with three ΔE–E detectors consisting of a thin NE102A scintillator and a thick NE213 liquid scintillator. In the analysis, the pulse shape discrimination of the NE213 scintillator enable us to distinguish events for a charged particle stopping in the scintillator from events for a charged particle penetrating the scintillator. Experimental results were compared with calculations by the PHITS code coupled with the JENDL-HE file, the Bertini model implemented in the PHITS code, and the PEANUT model in the FLUKA code.     

碳离子在不同材料叶片的多叶光栅上产生的次级粒子研究

在碳离子放射治疗中，碳离子束与治疗头设备和患者身体相互作用产生的次级粒子可以到达患者体内的许多区域，在产生的次级粒子中以中子和$\gamma $射线的产额为最大。在不影响束流配送功能的情况下，减少碳离子放疗中产生的次级中子和$\gamma $射线对于降低放疗后出现的正常组织并发症及二次肿瘤风险有着非常重要的意义。本文利用蒙特卡罗(Monte Carlo)方法模拟计算了被动式束流配送系统下，400 MeV/u碳离子束照射到由不同材料叶片构成的多叶光栅(MLC)形成典型的10 cm×10 cm方形射野时，在水模体中产生的次级中子和$\gamma $射线所沉积的剂量及空间分布等。模拟结果显示:碳离子束通过MLC形成射野后在水模体中产生的次级中子主要分布在水模体的入射端，次级$\gamma $射线较为均匀的分布在整个水模体内，且较多分布在具有展宽Bragg峰(SOBP)射野在水模体中贯穿时的坪区。对于MLC叶片材料的选择，则需根据实际情况对叶片厚度以及次级粒子当量剂量的要求来确定。本文通过模拟研究不同MLC叶片材料产生次级粒子的情况，为被动式束流配送系统中MLC叶片及其他元件的材料选择提供了科学依据。     

Influence of Bonner sphere response functions above 20 MeV on unfolded neutron spectra and doses

Monte Carlo (MC) codes for neutron transport calculations such as MCNP, MCNPX, FLUKA, PHITS, and GEANT4, crucially rely on cross sections that describe the interaction of neutrons with nuclei. For neutron energies below 20 MeV, evaluated cross sections are available that are validated against experimental data. In contrast, for high energies (above 20 MeV) experimental data are scarce and, for this reason, every neutron transport code is based on theoretical nuclear models to describe interactions of neutrons with nuclei in matter. Here we report on the calculation of a complete set of response functions for a Bonner spheres spectrometer (BSS), by means of GEANT4 using the Bertini and Binary Intranuclear Cascade (INC) models for energies above 20 MeV. The recent results were compared with those calculated by MCNP/LAHET and MCNP/HADRON MC codes. It turns out that, whatever code used, the response functions were rather similar for neutron energies below 20 MeV, for all 16 detector/moderator combinations of the considered BSS system. For higher energies, however, differences of more than a factor of 2 were observed, depending on neutron energy, detector/moderator combination, MC code, and nuclear model used. These differences are discussed in terms of neutron fluence rates measured at the environmental research station (UFS), “Schneefernerhaus”, (Zugspitze mountain, Germany, 2650 m a.s.l.) for energies below 0.4 eV (thermal neutrons), between 0.4 eV and 100 keV (epithermal neutrons), between 100 keV and 20 MeV (evaporation neutrons), and above 20 MeV (cascade neutrons). In terms of total neutron fluence rates, relative differences of up to 4% were obtained when compared to the standard MCNP/LAHET results, while in terms of total ambient dose equivalent, relative differences of up to 8% were obtained. Both the GEANT4 Binary INC and Bertini INC gave somewhat larger fluence and dose rates in the epithermal region. Most relevant for dose, however, those response functions calculated with the GEANT4 Bertini INC model provided about 18% less neutrons in the cascade region, which led to a roughly 13% smaller contribution of these neutrons to ambient dose equivalent. It is concluded that doses from secondary neutrons from cosmic radiation as deduced from BSS measurements are uncertain by about 10%, simply because of some differences in nuclear models used by various neutron transport codes.     

Analysis of the relationship between neutron dose and Cerenkov photons under neutron irradiation through Monte Carlo method

To theoretically explore the feasibility of neutron dose characterized by Cerenkov photons, the relationship between Cerenkov photons and neutron dose in a water phantom was quantified using the Monte Carlo toolkit Geant4. Results showed that the ratio of the neutron dose deposited by secondary electrons above Cerenkov threshold energy to the total neutron dose is approximately a constant for monoenergetic neutrons from 0.01 eV to 100 eV. With the initial neutron beam energy from 0.01 eV to 100 eV, the number of Cerenkov photons has a good correlation with the total neutron dose along the central axis of the water phantom. The changes of neutron energy spectrum and mechanism analysis also explored at different depths. And the ratio of total neutron dose to the intensity of Cerenkov photons is independent of neutron energy for neutrons from 0.01 eV to 100 eV. These findings indicate that Cerenkov radiation also has potential in the application of neutron dose measurement in some specific fields.     

Validation of Monte Carlo simulation of 6 MV photon beam produced by Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator using BEAMnrc code and DOSXYZnrc code

The Monte Carlo model for the photon-beam output from the Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator was validated to compare the calculated to measured PDD and beam dose profiles The Monte Carlo calculation method is considered to be the most accurate method for dose calculation in radiotherapy. The objective of this study is to build a Monte Carlo geometry of Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator as realistically as possible. The Monte Carlo codes used in this work were the BEAMnrc code to simulate the photons beam and the DOSXYZnrc code to examinate the absorbed dose in the water phantom. We have calculated percentage depth dose (PDD) and beam profiles of the 6 MV photon beam for the 6 × 6 cm², 10 × 10 cm² and 15 × 15 cm² field sizes. We have used the gamma index technique for the quantitative evaluation to compare the measured and calculated distributions. Good agreement was found between calculated PDD and beam profile compared to measured data. The comparison was evaluated using the gamma index method and the criterions were 3% for dose difference and 3 mm for distance to agreement. The gamma index acceptance rate was more than 97% of both distribution comparisons PDDs and dose profiles and our results were more developed and accurate. The Varian Clinac 2100 linear accelerator was accurately modeled using Monte Carlo codes: BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc codes package.     

Applicability of particle and heavy ion transport code PHITS to the shielding design of spacecrafts

Development of HZE particle transport codes is severely required for the shielding design of spacecrafts. One-dimensional deterministic codes are generally adopted in the shielding calculation because of their reasonable computational time, but three-dimensional Monte Carlo codes are also to be employed especially in the final step of the design with fully optimized geometries. We are therefore developing a general-purpose Monte Carlo code PHITS, which can deal with the transports of all kinds of hadrons and heavy ions with energies up to . For the purpose of examining the applicability of PHITS to the shielding design, neutron and charged particle spectra inside the Space Shuttle were calculated for an imaginary vessel whose shielding distribution is fitted to that of the real shuttle. Absorbed doses and dose equivalents were estimated from the spectra by applying fluence to dose conversion coefficients. The agreements between the calculated spectra or doses and the corresponding experimental data were generally satisfactory, especially for the neutron spectra, which have been barely reproduced by other studies. We therefore concluded that PHITS has a great possibility of playing an important role in the design study of spacecrafts.     

SSRF前端区锯齿墙束流孔洞中子屏蔽的蒙特卡罗估算

主要关于上海同步辐射装置(SSRF)储存环电子引发产生的韧致辐射和中子辐射的研究. 中子和光子经多种组合材 料(厚度在5cm～115cm之间)屏蔽后的剂量特征由蒙特卡罗代码MCNP和EGSnrc估算得到; 蒙特卡罗计算表明, 单一的材料如铅, 铁和聚乙烯对高能中子是无效的生物屏蔽材料, 而组合材料如铅或者铁加聚乙烯和铅或者铁加混凝土被认为是屏蔽高能中子很好的组合材料. 铅铁等高Z材料加点包含有氢的低Z材料如聚乙烯是同时屏蔽高能中子和韧致辐射的一种比较好的组合材料选择.     

PHITS—a particle and heavy ion transport code system

The paper presents a summary of the recent development of the multi-purpose Monte Carlo Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System, PHITS. In particular, we discuss in detail the development of two new models, JAM and JQMD, for high energy particle interactions, incorporated in PHITS, and show comparisons between model calculations and experiments for the validations of these models. The paper presents three applications of the code including spallation neutron source, heavy ion therapy and space radiation. The results and examples shown indicate PHITS has great ability of carrying out the radiation transport analysis of almost all particles including heavy ions within a wide energy range.     

80.5 MeV/u碳离子诱发铜靶的放射性剩余产物测量

高能重带电粒子能直接穿透靶原子核外电子层,与原子核发生直接碰撞,发生散裂反应,产生一系列具有放射性的剩余产物核.重带电粒子诱发靶材放射性剩余核与辐射防护和人员安全有着密切联系,当前,大部分剩余核产额主要依靠蒙特卡罗粒子输运程序进行模拟计算,其准确程度亟需通过实验测量进行准确评估.本文利用能量为80.5 MeV/u的(12)^C⁶⁺粒子对薄铜靶开展了辐照实验与伽玛射线测量,结合伽玛谱学分析方法,得出了辐照产生的18种放射性剩余产物的初始活度和产生截面值,并与PHITS模拟结果进行对比.结果表明,PHITS模拟程序对放射性剩余核种类的估计具有较高可靠性,在其绝对产额方面,与实验测量仍具有较大偏差.     

Benchmarking and validation of a Geant4–SHADOW Monte Carlo simulation for dose calculations in microbeam radiation therapy

Microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) is a synchrotron‐based radiotherapy modality that uses high‐intensity beams of spatially fractionated radiation to treat tumours. The rapid evolution of MRT towards clinical trials demands accurate treatment planning systems (TPS), as well as independent tools for the verification of TPS calculated dose distributions in order to ensure patient safety and treatment efficacy. Monte Carlo computer simulation represents the most accurate method of dose calculation in patient geometries and is best suited for the purpose of TPS verification. A Monte Carlo model of the ID17 biomedical beamline at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility has been developed, including recent modifications, using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit interfaced with the SHADOW X‐ray optics and ray‐tracing libraries. The code was benchmarked by simulating dose profiles in water‐equivalent phantoms subject to irradiation by broad‐beam (without spatial fractionation) and microbeam (with spatial fractionation) fields, and comparing against those calculated with a previous model of the beamline developed using the PENELOPE code. Validation against additional experimental dose profiles in water‐equivalent phantoms subject to broad‐beam irradiation was also performed. Good agreement between codes was observed, with the exception of out‐of‐field doses and toward the field edge for larger field sizes. Microbeam results showed good agreement between both codes and experimental results within uncertainties. Results of the experimental validation showed agreement for different beamline configurations. The asymmetry in the out‐of‐field dose profiles due to polarization effects was also investigated, yielding important information for the treatment planning process in MRT. This work represents an important step in the development of a Monte Carlo‐based independent verification tool for treatment planning in MRT.     

基于蒙特卡罗方法的XHA600D医用电子直线加速器的入射电子束参数研究

使用蒙特卡罗方法研究入射电子束参数对XHA600D医用电子直线加速器产生的剂量分布的影响,并确定优化的入射电子束参数。根据厂商提供的XHA600D加速器治疗头的几何、材料参数,使用蒙特卡罗程序EGSnrc对不同的入射电子束参数进行模拟并记录其在水模体中产生的剂量分布,将模拟结果与测量结果进行比较。模拟的入射电子束参数包括平均能量、径向强度分布、角度展宽和能量展宽;实验测量数据包括4 cm×4 cm、10 cm×10 cm、30 cm×30 cm射野条件下的百分深度剂量与离轴剂量。结果表明当入射电子束的平均能量为6 MeV、径向强度的半高宽(Full Width at Half Maximum, FWHM)为0.25 cm、角度展宽为0.15°时,模拟结果和测量结果吻合非常好。这些参数可以作为建立适用于XHA600D加速器的TPS(Treatment Planning System)剂量计算模型的基础参数。     

厚闪烁体内次级中子对快中子图像质量的影响研究

利用编制的快中子照相数值模拟程序(FNRSC)模拟计算了入射中子能量为14 MeV时,厚度5—300 mm闪烁体内次级中子对快中子图像质量的影响,结果表明闪烁体厚度d<50mm时,次级中子对图像的影响强烈依赖于闪烁体厚度,而当d>50 mm时,次级中子对图像的影响趋于饱和.将文献中利用蒙特卡罗中子-光子输运程序(MCNP)计算的次级中子对图像影响和文中计算结果进行了对比,给出了二者存在差异的主要原因：次级中子分布对入射中子空间分布的强烈依赖性;能量沉积和荧光输出这两种计算方法对 关键词： 14 MeV中子 快中子照相 次级中子 Monte Carlo模拟     

高能质子在散裂靶中的能量沉积计算与实验验证

高能质子在散裂靶中的能量沉积是散裂靶中子学研究的重要内容之一,准确掌握高能质子在散裂靶中引起的能量沉积分布与瞬态变化是开展散裂靶热工流体设计的重要前提.本文采用MCNPX,PHITS与FLUKA三种蒙特卡罗模拟程序,计算并比较了高能质子入射重金属铅靶、钨靶的能量沉积分布及不同粒子对总能量沉积的占比贡献;针对高能质子入射金属钨靶的能量沉积实验数据空白,采用热释光探测器阵列测量了250 MeV质子束入射厚钨靶的能量沉积分布,实验结果表明蒙特卡罗模拟程序在散裂靶中能量沉积的计算结果具有较高的可靠性.     

均匀磁场下碳离子笔形束的剂量变化分析及位置修正方法

分析外加均匀磁场对于碳离子笔形束剂量分布的影响,并考虑修正这种影响,为磁共振成像引导碳离子放射治疗的临床应用提供指导。本文利用蒙特卡罗方法模拟计算了不同能量碳离子笔形束在不同强度磁场下的剂量分布情况,发现垂直于碳离子束入射方向的均匀磁场对于碳离子笔形束射程缩短的影响很小,磁场对碳离子束的主要影响是引起束流横向偏转,特别是碳离子束布拉格峰位置的横向侧移。横向侧移程度与碳离子束的能量和磁场强度相关,根据模拟结果,得到了一个计算碳离子束布拉格峰在磁场中相对横向偏转的方程,并提出一种校正外加磁场引起的碳离子束布拉格峰横移的角度修正方法。这些结果可用于指导磁共振图像引导碳离子放射治疗计划系统的研发。