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Geser FA, Stabilini A, Christensen JB, Muñoz ID, Yukihara EG, Jäkel O, Vedelago J. A Monte Carlo study on the secondary neutron generation by oxygen ion beams for radiotherapy and its comparison to lighter ions. Phys Med Biol 2024; 69:015027. [PMID: 37995363 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ad0f45] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
Objective.To study the secondary neutrons generated by primary oxygen beams for cancer treatment and compare the results to those from primary protons, helium, and carbon ions. This information can provide useful insight into the positioning of neutron detectors in phantom for future experimental dose assessments.Approach.Mono-energetic oxygen beams and spread-out Bragg peaks were simulated using the Monte Carlo particle transport codesFLUktuierende KAskade, tool for particle simulation, and Monte Carlo N-Particle, with energies within the therapeutic range. The energy and angular distribution of the secondary neutrons were quantified.Main results.The secondary neutron spectra generated by primary oxygen beams present the same qualitative trend as for other primary ions. The energy distributions resemble continuous spectra with one peak in the thermal/epithermal region, and one other peak in the fast/relativistic region, with the most probable energy ranging from 94 up to 277 MeV and maximum energies exceeding 500 MeV. The angular distribution of the secondary neutrons is mainly downstream-directed for the fast/relativistic energies, whereas the thermal/epithermal neutrons present a more isotropic propagation. When comparing the four different primary ions, there is a significant increase in the most probable energy as well as the number of secondary neutrons per primary particle when increasing the mass of the primaries.Significance.Most previous studies have only presented results of secondary neutrons generated by primary proton beams. In this work, secondary neutrons generated by primary oxygen beams are presented, and the obtained energy and angular spectra are added as supplementary material. Furthermore, a comparison of the secondary neutron generation by the different primary ions is given, which can be used as the starting point for future studies on treatment plan comparison and secondary neutron dose optimisation. The distal penumbra after the maximum dose deposition appears to be a suitable location for in-phantom dose assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico A Geser
- Department of Radiation Safety and Security, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen PSI 5232, Switzerland
| | - Alberto Stabilini
- Department of Radiation Safety and Security, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen PSI 5232, Switzerland
| | - Jeppe B Christensen
- Department of Radiation Safety and Security, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen PSI 5232, Switzerland
| | - Iván D Muñoz
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
- Department of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eduardo G Yukihara
- Department of Radiation Safety and Security, Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Forschungsstrasse 111, Villigen PSI 5232, Switzerland
| | - Oliver Jäkel
- Department of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg, Germany
- Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT), Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD), Im Neuenheimer Feld 450, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
| | - José Vedelago
- Department of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
- Heidelberg Institute for Radiation Oncology (HIRO), National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology (NCRO), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, Heidelberg D-69120, Germany
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A Monte-Carlo study on the fluorescent nuclear track detector (FNTD) response to fast neutrons: Which information can be obtained by single layer and 3D track reconstruction analyses? RADIAT MEAS 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radmeas.2021.106609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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