A latest paper published in EPJ Plus and authored by Eduardo De Paiva, from the Division of Medical Physics on the Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, pits the gold standard simulation method used to calculate the interaction of the ionizing radiation with matter and estimate the radiation dose delivered to a goal organ—Monte Carlo (MC) simulation — against an alternate analytic method, the Loevinger formula.
Latest research pits the simulation of beta radiation doses in tumor treatment against an analytical method.
Treating superficial skin tumors especially once they are situated above cartilage or bone with beta radiation may also help protect sensitive structures in the course of the delivery of treatment.
Using short-range beta radiation in cancer treatment isn’t without its disadvantages, nevertheless, especially with regards to the measurement of radiation exposure — dosimetry. When experimental dosimetry isn’t feasible, researchers use simulations and calculations to review the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter and estimate the radiation dose delivered to a goal organ.
A latest paper published in EPJ Plus and authored by Eduardo De Paiva, from the Division of Medical Physics on the Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and his colleagues, pits the gold standard of simulation techniques — Monte Carlo (MC) simulation — against an alternate analytic method, the Loevinger formula.
“We measured the dose of a treatment applicator using mathematical techniques — an easy technique, no experiment needed and no practical challenges,” De Paiva says. “The comparison of MC simulation and Loevinger formula on the setup of our research was the novelty of our study.”
Nonexperimental dosimetry techniques like MC simulation are advantageous for his or her ability to handle different geometries and materials, but MC simulations require heavy computation and this will impede their implementation.
Analytic methods are one other set of techniques for dosimetry of beta radiation that may produce results faster than MC methods. To this point, these methods have been less favoured because they’re related to lower accuracy.
The team used MC simulation and analytical calculation — the Loevinger formula — for dosimetry of radiation dose from a multiwell skin brachytherapy applicator with two beta sources. The outcomes of the 2 approaches were in comparison with see how accurate the analytical method is.
“The Loevinger formula, which is a fast method for dosimetry showed a great agreement with gold standard Monte Carlo methods,” Paiva concluded. “Thus, the Loevinger formula will be used, as the idea of a dosimetry software, for straightforward dosimetry of beta sources in easy geometries.”
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Journal reference:
De Paiva, E., et al. (2022) Calculations of beta radiation doses from multiwell Phosphorus-32 and Yttrium-90 applicators designed to be utilized in the treatment of superficial skin tumors: comparison of Monte Carlo and analytical methods. EPJ Plus. doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-03116-5.