Biomaterial Database

Photonuclear dose calculations for high-energy photon beams from Siemens and Varian linacs. 2003

Omar Chibani, and Chang-Ming Charlie Ma

Department of Radiation Oncology, Massy Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, Richmond, Virginia 23298, USA. ochibani@vcu.edu

The dose from photon-induced nuclear particles (neutrons, protons, and alpha particles) generated by high-energy photon beams from medical linacs is investigated. Monte Carlo calculations using the MCNPX code are performed for three different photon beams from two different machines: Siemens 18 MV, Varian 15 MV, and Varian 18 MV. The linac head components are simulated in detail. The dose distributions from photons, neutrons, protons, and alpha particles are calculated in a tissue-equivalent phantom. Neutrons are generated in both the linac head and the phantom. This study includes (a) field size effects, (b) off-axis dose profiles, (c) neutron contribution from the linac head, (d) dose contribution from capture gamma rays, (e) phantom heterogeneity effects, and (f) effects of primary electron energy shift. Results are presented in terms of absolute dose distributions and also in terms of DER (dose equivalent ratio). The DER is the maximum dose from the particle (neutron, proton, or alpha) divided by the maximum photon dose, multiplied by the particle quality factor and the modulation scaling factor. The total DER including neutrons, protons, and alphas is about 0.66 cSv/Gy for the Siemens 18 MV beam (10 cm x 10 cm). The neutron DER decreases with decreasing field size while the proton (or alpha) DER does not vary significantly except for the 1 cm x 1 cm field. Both Varian beams (15 and 18 MV) produce more neutrons, protons, and alphas particles than the Siemens 18 MV beam. This is mainly due to their higher primary electron energies: 15 and 18.3 MeV, respectively, vs 14 MeV for the Siemens 18 MV beam. For all beams, neutrons contribute more than 75% of the total DER, except for the 1 cm x 1 cm field (approximately 50%). The total DER is 1.52 and 2.86 cSv/Gy for the 15 and 18 MV Varian beams (10 cm x 10 cm), respectively. Media with relatively high-Z elements like bone may increase the dose from heavy charged particles by a factor 4. The total DER is sensitive to primary electron energy shift. A Siemens 18 MV beam with 15 MeV (instead of 14 MeV) primary electrons would increase by 40% the neutron DER and by 210% the proton + alpha DER. Comparisons with measurements (neutron yields from different materials and neutron dose equivalent) are also presented. Using the NCRP risk assessment method, we found that the dose equivalent from leakage neutrons (at 50-cm off-axis distance) represent 1.1, 1.1, and 2.0% likelihood of fatal secondary cancer for a 70 Gy treatment delivered by the Siemens 18 MV, Varian 15 MV, and Varian 18 MV beams, respectively.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007554	Isotopes	Atomic species differing in mass number but having the same atomic number. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Isotope
D009010	Monte Carlo Method	In statistics, a technique for numerically approximating the solution of a mathematical problem by studying the distribution of some random variable, often generated by a computer. The name alludes to the randomness characteristic of the games of chance played at the gambling casinos in Monte Carlo. (From Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed, 1993)	Method, Monte Carlo
D009381	Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced	Tumors, cancer or other neoplasms produced by exposure to ionizing or non-ionizing radiation.	Radiation-Induced Cancer,Cancer, Radiation-Induced,Radiation-Induced Neoplasms,Cancer, Radiation Induced,Cancers, Radiation-Induced,Neoplasm, Radiation-Induced,Neoplasms, Radiation Induced,Radiation Induced Cancer,Radiation Induced Neoplasms,Radiation-Induced Cancers,Radiation-Induced Neoplasm
D009502	Neutrons	Electrically neutral elementary particles found in all atomic nuclei except light hydrogen; the mass is equal to that of the proton and electron combined and they are unstable when isolated from the nucleus, undergoing beta decay. Slow, thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons refer to the energy levels with which the neutrons are ejected from heavier nuclei during their decay.	Neutron
D010315	Particle Accelerators	Devices which accelerate electrically charged atomic or subatomic particles, such as electrons, protons or ions, to high velocities so they have high kinetic energy.	Betatrons,Linear Accelerators,Accelerator, Linear,Accelerator, Particle,Accelerators, Linear,Accelerators, Particle,Betatron,Linear Accelerator,Particle Accelerator
D011874	Radiometry	The measurement of radiation by photography, as in x-ray film and film badge, by Geiger-Mueller tube, and by SCINTILLATION COUNTING.	Geiger-Mueller Counters,Nuclear Track Detection,Radiation Dosimetry,Dosimetry, Radiation,Geiger Counter,Geiger-Mueller Counter Tube,Geiger-Mueller Probe,Geiger-Mueller Tube,Radiation Counter,Counter Tube, Geiger-Mueller,Counter Tubes, Geiger-Mueller,Counter, Geiger,Counter, Radiation,Counters, Geiger,Counters, Geiger-Mueller,Counters, Radiation,Detection, Nuclear Track,Dosimetries, Radiation,Geiger Counters,Geiger Mueller Counter Tube,Geiger Mueller Counters,Geiger Mueller Probe,Geiger Mueller Tube,Geiger-Mueller Counter Tubes,Geiger-Mueller Probes,Geiger-Mueller Tubes,Probe, Geiger-Mueller,Probes, Geiger-Mueller,Radiation Counters,Radiation Dosimetries,Tube, Geiger-Mueller,Tube, Geiger-Mueller Counter,Tubes, Geiger-Mueller,Tubes, Geiger-Mueller Counter
D011879	Radiotherapy Dosage	The total amount of radiation absorbed by tissues as a result of radiotherapy.	Dosage, Radiotherapy,Dosages, Radiotherapy,Radiotherapy Dosages
D011882	Radiotherapy, High-Energy	Radiotherapy using high-energy (megavolt or higher) ionizing radiation. Types of radiation include gamma rays, produced by a radioisotope within a teletherapy unit; x-rays, electrons, protons, alpha particles (helium ions) and heavy charged ions, produced by particle acceleration; and neutrons and pi-mesons (pions), produced as secondary particles following bombardment of a target with a primary particle.	Megavolt Radiotherapy,High-Energy Radiotherapy,Radiotherapy, Megavolt,High Energy Radiotherapy,Radiotherapy, High Energy
D004583	Electrons	Stable elementary particles having the smallest known negative charge, present in all elements; also called negatrons. Positively charged electrons are called positrons. The numbers, energies and arrangement of electrons around atomic nuclei determine the chemical identities of elements. Beams of electrons are called CATHODE RAYS.	Fast Electrons,Negatrons,Positrons,Electron,Electron, Fast,Electrons, Fast,Fast Electron,Negatron,Positron
D005720	Gamma Rays	Penetrating, high-energy electromagnetic radiation emitted from atomic nuclei during NUCLEAR DECAY. The range of wavelengths of emitted radiation is between 0.1 - 100 pm which overlaps the shorter, more energetic hard X-RAYS wavelengths. The distinction between gamma rays and X-rays is based on their radiation source.	Gamma Wave,Gamma Radiation,Nuclear X-Rays,Radiation, Gamma,X-Rays, Nuclear,Gamma Radiations,Gamma Ray,Gamma Waves,Nuclear X Rays,Nuclear X-Ray,Ray, Gamma,Wave, Gamma,Waves, Gamma,X Rays, Nuclear,X-Ray, Nuclear