Multiple Source Phototherapy in Breast Cancer: A Viability Study

Radiation therapy is one of many common treatments applied to breast cancer. Most usual radiation sources applied are ionizing radiation, such as g-rays and X-rays, and non-ionizing radiation such as ultraviolet radiation. The possibility of using near infrared light to photoactivate a drug inside an 8 cm diameter biological object is discussed in this work via Monte Carlo simulations. Two simulation setups performed in the Geant4/GAMOS framework are presented in order to study the viability of photoactivating a drug by using several near infrared light sources. The overall objective of this technique is to minimize energy concentrated at objects surface and maximize it in a predefined region of interest. Results show an increase energy absorption in the desired region of interest inside a 8 cm object, when a higher absorption particle is present. With the use of multiple sources it is possible to photoactivate the drug while causing minimal damage to the surface of the radiated object.