Dosimetric Characteristics of the Brachytherapy Sources Based on Monte Carlo Method

The term of brachytherapy, also known as “internal radiotherapy, sealed source radiotherapy, curietherapy or endocurietherapy” is from Greek work brachy means short distance and therapy (treatment) and also known as internal radiotherapy or sealed source radiotherapy. Brachytherapy is a special form of radiotherapy where a radioactive source is carefully placed on or inside the area to be treated. Brachytherapy sources are usually encapsulated; they can be used within the body cavities close to the tumor, placed in a lumen of organs, implanted in to the tumor or placed over the tissue to be treated. The main purpose in radiation therapy is controlling disease and reducing side effects. For a good clinical result one must assure the dose concentrate in the tumor mass and surrounding volume which is at risk of the tumor micro-extensions, while minimizing radiation received by the normal tissue. This can be verified by experimental measurement which is the base of Brachytherapy dosimetry. Due to the high dose gradient near the source and low signal to noise ratio at great distances, experimental dosimetry in Brachytherapy is very complicated or even in small distances is impossible. Also the dose variation with angle in 4┨ geometry of the source must be considered, since routine experimental measurement does not represent this. One of the widely used techniques for solving this problem is Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport. The calculation of dose distributions at small distances and also validation of experimental measurement can be done by one of the powerful codes such as MCNP, BEAM, EGSnrc, PENELOPE, GEANT4, and ETRAN/ITS. One of the important parameters in the calculation process is validation of the Monte Carlo calculations with measurement results. This chapter starts with an introduction lecture about brachytherapy history and a short review of the different models for sealed Brachytherapy sources. A brief discuss of brachytherapy dosimetry with computer and measurement is provided. In 1995 the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group No. 43 published a protocol including new formalism for brachytherapy dose calculation and updated in 2004 as TG-43U1. The concept of AAPM recommendation and TG 43 formalism are introduced. Application of Monte Carlo in simulation, guideline for Monte Carlo dosimetry, calculation methodology, requirement for simulation and validation of calculation are then outlined. A

[1]  D. Rogers.  Fifty years of Monte Carlo simulations for medical physics , 2006, Physics in medicine and biology.

[2]  Dimos Baltas,et al.  The physics of modern brachytherapy for onocology , 2006 .

[3]  J. Pérez-Calatayud,et al.  Monte Carlo Application in Brachytherapy Dosimetry , 2009 .

[4]  P. Finger,et al.  Palladium-103 plaque radiotherapy for choroidal melanoma: results of a 7-year study. , 1999, Ophthalmology.

[5]  Ravinder Nath,et al.  Dose calculation formalisms and consensus dosimetry parameters for intravascular brachytherapy dosimetry: recommendations of the AAPM Therapy Physics Committee Task Group No. 149. , 2007, Medical physics.

[6]  M. Rivard,et al.  COMS eye plaque brachytherapy dosimetry simulations for 103Pd, 125I, and 131Cs. , 2008, Medical physics.

[7]  C. A. Aguilera,et al.  Collaborative ocular melanoma study (COMS) randomized trial of I-125 brachytherapy for medium choroidal melanoma. I. Visual acuity after 3 years COMS report no. 16. , 2001, Ophthalmology.

[8]  J. Earle,et al.  The American Brachytherapy Society recommendations for brachytherapy of uveal melanomas. , 2003, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[9]  Mark J Rivard,et al.  Approaches to calculating AAPM TG-43 brachytherapy dosimetry parameters for 137Cs, 125I, 192Ir, 103Pd, and 169Yb sources. , 2006, Medical physics.

[10]  F Ballester,et al.  Dosimetric study of the 15 mm ROPES eye plaque. , 2004, Medical physics.

[11]  L. Sakelliou,et al.  Limitations of the point and line source approximations for the determination of geometry factors around brachytherapy sources. , 2000, Medical physics.

[12]  D J Brenner,et al.  The dose-rate effect revisited: radiobiological considerations of importance in radiotherapy. , 1991, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[13]  Srinivasan Vijayakumar,et al.  Technical Basis of Radiation Therapy , 2006 .

[14]  M. Rivard,et al.  COMS eye plaque brachytherapy dosimetry simulations for P103d, I125, and C131s. , 2008, Medical physics.

[15]  C. Ling,et al.  Dose distribution of 125I sources in different tissues. , 1990, Medical physics.

[16]  J. J. Fan,et al.  Monte Carlo calculations and experimental measurements of dosimetry parameters of a new 103Pd source. , 2000, Medical physics.

[17]  F. Khan,et al.  Levitt and Tapley's technological basis of radiation therapy : practical clinical applications , 1984 .

[18]  M. Mills,et al.  Geometry function of a linear brachytherapy source , 2001, Journal of applied clinical medical physics.

[19]  C C Ling,et al.  The relative biological effectiveness of I-125 and Pd-103. , 1995, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[20]  D Baltas,et al.  Beta versus gamma dosimetry close to Ir-192 brachytherapy sources. , 2001, Medical physics.

[21]  Philip Mayles,et al.  Comprar Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics: Theory and Practice | P Mayles | 9780750308601 | Informa Healthcare , 2007 .

[22]  M. Sadeghi,et al.  Study of the IsoAid ADVANTAGE (125)I brachytherapy source dosimetric parameters using Monte Carlo simulation. , 2010, Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine.

[23]  R. Dale,et al.  A theoretical investigation into the role of tumour radiosensitivity, clonogen repopulation, tumour shrinkage and radionuclide RBE in permanent brachytherapy implants of 125I and 103Pd , 2001, Physics in medicine and biology.

[24]  Charles J. Mode,et al.  Applications of Monte Carlo Methods in Biology, Medicine and Other Fields of Science , 2011 .

[25]  M. Sadeghi,et al.  Monte Carlo calculation of dosimetry parameters for the IR08-P103d brachytherapy source. , 2010, Medical physics.

[26]  R G Dale,et al.  A Monte Carlo derivation of parameters for use in the tissue dosimetry of medium and low energy nuclides. , 1982, The British journal of radiology.

[27]  Zhe Chen,et al.  Relative Biological Effectiveness of 103Pd and 125I Photons for Continuous Low-Dose-Rate Irradiation of Chinese Hamster Cells , 2005, Radiation research.

[28]  Jeffrey F Williamson,et al.  Brachytherapy technology and physics practice since 1950: a half-century of progress , 2006, Physics in medicine and biology.

[29]  M. Rivard.  Monte Carlo calculations of AAPM Task Group Report No. 43 dosimetry parameters for the MED3631-A/M125I source. , 2001, Medical physics.

[30]  Omar Chibani,et al.  Dosimetric effects of seed anisotropy and interseed attenuation for Pd103 and I125 prostate implants. , 2005, Medical physics.

[31]  J F Williamson,et al.  Code of practice for brachytherapy physics: report of the AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group No. 56. American Association of Physicists in Medicine. , 1997, Medical physics.

[32]  S. Chiu‐Tsao,et al.  Dosimetry for 125I seed (model 6711) in eye plaques. , 1993, Medical physics.

[33]  M. Bidmead,et al.  Dose and Volume Specification for Reporting Intracavitary Therapy in Gynecology, in: ICRU Report 38. International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements, Bristol (1985) , 1986 .

[34]  J. Williamson,et al.  Update of AAPM Task Group No. 43 Report: A revised AAPM protocol for brachytherapy dose calculations. , 2003, Medical physics.

[35]  S. C. Prasad,et al.  Lung density effect on 125I dose distribution. , 1985, Medical physics.

[36]  G. Ibbott,et al.  Dosimetric characteristics of a new 125I brachytherapy source. , 2000, Medical physics.

[37]  Robert E. Wallace,et al.  Dosimetric characterization of a new design 103 palladium brachytherapy source. , 1999, Medical physics.

[38]  L. Anderson,et al.  Dosimetry of interstitial brachytherapy sources: Recommendations of the AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group No. 43 , 1995 .

[39]  S. Fine.  Collaborative ocular melanoma study group. , 1999, Archives of family medicine.

[40]  J F Williamson,et al.  Comparison of measured and calculated dose rates in water near I-125 and Ir-192 seeds. , 1991, Medical physics.

[41]  R Nath,et al.  Measurement of dose-rate constant for 103Pd seeds with air kerma strength calibration based upon a primary national standard. , 2000, Medical physics.

[42]  J. Williamson,et al.  Monte Carlo modeling of the transverse-axis dose distribution of the model 200 103Pd interstitial brachytherapy source. , 2000, Medical physics.

[43]  M Zaider,et al.  A calculation of the relative biological effectiveness of 125I and 103Pd brachytherapy sources using the concept of proximity function. , 1998, Medical physics.

[44]  Sasa Mutic,et al.  Dual energy CT tissue quantitation for Monte-Carlo based treatment planning for brachytherapy , 2000, Proceedings of the 22nd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (Cat. No.00CH37143).

[45]  B. L. Kirk,et al.  Brachytherapy dosimetry parameters calculated for a new 103Pd source. , 2004, Medical physics.

[46]  D. Baltas,et al.  An analytical dosimetry model as a step towards accounting for inhomogeneities and bounded geometries in 192Ir brachytherapy treatment planning. , 2003, Physics in medicine and biology.

[47]  M. Sadeghi,et al.  Experimental measurements and Monte Carlo calculations of dosimetric parameters of the IRA1-103Pd brachytherapy source. , 2008, Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine.

[48]  G. Ibbott,et al.  On the use of apparent activity (Aapp) for treatment planning of 125I and 103Pd interstitial brachytherapy sources: recommendations of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine radiation therapy committee subcommittee on low-energy brachytherapy source dosimetry. , 1999, Medical physics.

[49]  E. Karimi,et al.  Dosimetric comparison of Y90, P32, and Re186 radiocolloids in craniopharyngioma treatments. , 2009, Medical physics.

[50]  Omar Chibani,et al.  Dosimetric effects of seed anisotropy and interseed attenuation for 103Pd and 125I prostate implants. , 2005, Medical physics.

[51]  R. Taylor,et al.  Monte Carlo dosimetry for 125I and 103Pd eye plaque brachytherapy. , 2008, Medical physics.

[52]  P. Finger,et al.  Palladium 103 ophthalmic plaque radiotherapy. , 1991, Archives of ophthalmology.

[53]  R Wang,et al.  A Monte Carlo calculation of dosimetric parameters of 90Sr/90Y and 192Ir SS sources for intravascular brachytherapy. , 2000, Medical physics.

[54]  M. Sadeghi,et al.  Monte Carlo calculations and experimental measurements of dosimetric parameters of the IRA-103Pd brachytherapy source. , 2008, Medical physics.

[55]  D Granero,et al.  Phantom size in brachytherapy source dosimetric studies. , 2004, Medical physics.

[56]  Determination of dosimetry parameters of ADVANTAGE TM 103 Pd brachytherapy seed using MCNP4C computer code , 2009 .

[57]  M. Sadeghi,et al.  Dosimetric comparison of four new design P103d brachytherapy sources: Optimal design using silver and copper rod cores. , 2009, Medical physics.