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Lourenço A, Bouchard H, Galer S, Royle G, Palmans H. The influence of nuclear interactions on ionization chamber perturbation factors in proton beams: FLUKA simulations supported by a Fano test. Med Phys 2018; 46:885-891. [DOI: 10.1002/mp.13281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Lourenço
- Medical Radiation Science National Physical Laboratory Teddington TW11 0LW UK
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering University College London London WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Hugo Bouchard
- Département de Physique Université de Montréal, Québec 2900 Boulevard Edouard‐Montpetit Montréal QC H3T 1J4 Canada
| | - Sebastian Galer
- Medical Radiation Science National Physical Laboratory Teddington TW11 0LW UK
| | - Gary Royle
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering University College London London WC1E 6BT UK
| | - Hugo Palmans
- Medical Radiation Science National Physical Laboratory Teddington TW11 0LW UK
- Medical Physics Group EBG MedAustron GmbH A‐2700 Wiener Neustadt Austria
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Poppinga D, Delfs B, Meyners J, Langner F, Giesen U, Harder D, Poppe B, Looe HK. Determination of the active volumes of solid-state photon-beam dosimetry detectors using the PTB proton microbeam. Med Phys 2018; 45:3340-3348. [PMID: 29727482 DOI: 10.1002/mp.12948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 03/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aims at the experimental determination of the diameters and thicknesses of the active volumes of solid-state photon-beam detectors for clinical dosimetry. The 10 MeV proton microbeam of the PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig) was used to examine two synthetic diamond detectors, type microDiamond (PTW Freiburg, Germany), and the silicon detectors Diode E (PTW Freiburg, Germany) and Razor Diode (Iba Dosimetry, Germany). The knowledge of the dimensions of their active volumes is essential for their Monte Carlo simulation and their applications in small-field photon-beam dosimetry. METHODS The diameter of the active detector volume was determined from the detector current profile recorded by radially scanning the proton microbeam across the detector. The thickness of the active detector volume was determined from the detector's electrical current, the number of protons incident per time interval and their mean stopping power in the active volume. The mean energy of the protons entering this volume was assessed by comparing the measured and the simulated influence of the thickness of a stack of aluminum preabsorber foils on the detector signal. RESULTS For all detector types investigated, the diameters measured for the active volume closely agreed with the manufacturers' data. For the silicon Diode E detector, the thickness determined for the active volume agreed with the manufacturer's data, while for the microDiamond detectors and the Razor Diode, the thicknesses measured slightly exceeded those stated by the manufacturers. DISCUSSION The PTB microbeam facility was used to analyze the diameters and thicknesses of the active volumes of photon dosimetry detectors for the first time. A new method of determining the thickness values with an uncertainty of ±10% was applied. The results appear useful for further consolidating detailed geometrical knowledge of the solid-state detectors investigated, which are used in clinical small-field photon-beam dosimetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Poppinga
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius-Hospital, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Bjoern Delfs
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius-Hospital, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jutta Meyners
- Radiotherapy Department, Imland Hospital, Rendsburg, Germany
| | - Frank Langner
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, Braunschweig, 38116, Germany
| | - Ulrich Giesen
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, Braunschweig, 38116, Germany
| | - Dietrich Harder
- Prof. em., Medical Physics and Biophysics, Georg August University, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Bjoern Poppe
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius-Hospital, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Hui K Looe
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius-Hospital, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
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Durante M, Paganetti H. Nuclear physics in particle therapy: a review. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2016; 79:096702. [PMID: 27540827 DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/79/9/096702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 142] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Charged particle therapy has been largely driven and influenced by nuclear physics. The increase in energy deposition density along the ion path in the body allows reducing the dose to normal tissues during radiotherapy compared to photons. Clinical results of particle therapy support the physical rationale for this treatment, but the method remains controversial because of the high cost and of the lack of comparative clinical trials proving the benefit compared to x-rays. Research in applied nuclear physics, including nuclear interactions, dosimetry, image guidance, range verification, novel accelerators and beam delivery technologies, can significantly improve the clinical outcome in particle therapy. Measurements of fragmentation cross-sections, including those for the production of positron-emitting fragments, and attenuation curves are needed for tuning Monte Carlo codes, whose use in clinical environments is rapidly increasing thanks to fast calculation methods. Existing cross sections and codes are indeed not very accurate in the energy and target regions of interest for particle therapy. These measurements are especially urgent for new ions to be used in therapy, such as helium. Furthermore, nuclear physics hardware developments are frequently finding applications in ion therapy due to similar requirements concerning sensors and real-time data processing. In this review we will briefly describe the physics bases, and concentrate on the open issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Durante
- Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications (TIFPA), National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 14, 38123 Povo (TN), Italy. Department of Physics, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
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Battistoni G, Bauer J, Boehlen TT, Cerutti F, Chin MPW, Dos Santos Augusto R, Ferrari A, Ortega PG, Kozłowska W, Magro G, Mairani A, Parodi K, Sala PR, Schoofs P, Tessonnier T, Vlachoudis V. The FLUKA Code: An Accurate Simulation Tool for Particle Therapy. Front Oncol 2016; 6:116. [PMID: 27242956 PMCID: PMC4863153 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2016.00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Monte Carlo (MC) codes are increasingly spreading in the hadrontherapy community due to their detailed description of radiation transport and interaction with matter. The suitability of a MC code for application to hadrontherapy demands accurate and reliable physical models capable of handling all components of the expected radiation field. This becomes extremely important for correctly performing not only physical but also biologically based dose calculations, especially in cases where ions heavier than protons are involved. In addition, accurate prediction of emerging secondary radiation is of utmost importance in innovative areas of research aiming at in vivo treatment verification. This contribution will address the recent developments of the FLUKA MC code and its practical applications in this field. Refinements of the FLUKA nuclear models in the therapeutic energy interval lead to an improved description of the mixed radiation field as shown in the presented benchmarks against experimental data with both (4)He and (12)C ion beams. Accurate description of ionization energy losses and of particle scattering and interactions lead to the excellent agreement of calculated depth-dose profiles with those measured at leading European hadron therapy centers, both with proton and ion beams. In order to support the application of FLUKA in hospital-based environments, Flair, the FLUKA graphical interface, has been enhanced with the capability of translating CT DICOM images into voxel-based computational phantoms in a fast and well-structured way. The interface is capable of importing also radiotherapy treatment data described in DICOM RT standard. In addition, the interface is equipped with an intuitive PET scanner geometry generator and automatic recording of coincidence events. Clinically, similar cases will be presented both in terms of absorbed dose and biological dose calculations describing the various available features.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Giuseppe Magro
- Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica, Pavia, Italy
| | - Andrea Mairani
- Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica, Pavia, Italy
- Heidelberger Ionenstrahl-Therapiezentrum (HIT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katia Parodi
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Heidelberger Ionenstrahl-Therapiezentrum (HIT), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Paola R. Sala
- INFN Sezione di Milano, Milan, Italy
- CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
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Kraan AC. Range Verification Methods in Particle Therapy: Underlying Physics and Monte Carlo Modeling. Front Oncol 2015; 5:150. [PMID: 26217586 PMCID: PMC4493660 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2015.00150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Hadron therapy allows for highly conformal dose distributions and better sparing of organs-at-risk, thanks to the characteristic dose deposition as function of depth. However, the quality of hadron therapy treatments is closely connected with the ability to predict and achieve a given beam range in the patient. Currently, uncertainties in particle range lead to the employment of safety margins, at the expense of treatment quality. Much research in particle therapy is therefore aimed at developing methods to verify the particle range in patients. Non-invasive in vivo monitoring of the particle range can be performed by detecting secondary radiation, emitted from the patient as a result of nuclear interactions of charged hadrons with tissue, including β (+) emitters, prompt photons, and charged fragments. The correctness of the dose delivery can be verified by comparing measured and pre-calculated distributions of the secondary particles. The reliability of Monte Carlo (MC) predictions is a key issue. Correctly modeling the production of secondaries is a non-trivial task, because it involves nuclear physics interactions at energies, where no rigorous theories exist to describe them. The goal of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of various aspects in modeling the physics processes for range verification with secondary particles produced in proton, carbon, and heavier ion irradiation. We discuss electromagnetic and nuclear interactions of charged hadrons in matter, which is followed by a summary of some widely used MC codes in hadron therapy. Then, we describe selected examples of how these codes have been validated and used in three range verification techniques: PET, prompt gamma, and charged particle detection. We include research studies and clinically applied methods. For each of the techniques, we point out advantages and disadvantages, as well as clinical challenges still to be addressed, focusing on MC simulation aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aafke Christine Kraan
- Department of Physics, National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Testa M, Schümann J, Lu HM, Shin J, Faddegon B, Perl J, Paganetti H. Experimental validation of the TOPAS Monte Carlo system for passive scattering proton therapy. Med Phys 2014; 40:121719. [PMID: 24320505 DOI: 10.1118/1.4828781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE TOPAS (TOol for PArticle Simulation) is a particle simulation code recently developed with the specific aim of making Monte Carlo simulations user-friendly for research and clinical physicists in the particle therapy community. The authors present a thorough and extensive experimental validation of Monte Carlo simulations performed with TOPAS in a variety of setups relevant for proton therapy applications. The set of validation measurements performed in this work represents an overall end-to-end testing strategy recommended for all clinical centers planning to rely on TOPAS for quality assurance or patient dose calculation and, more generally, for all the institutions using passive-scattering proton therapy systems. METHODS The authors systematically compared TOPAS simulations with measurements that are performed routinely within the quality assurance (QA) program in our institution as well as experiments specifically designed for this validation study. First, the authors compared TOPAS simulations with measurements of depth-dose curves for spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) fields. Second, absolute dosimetry simulations were benchmarked against measured machine output factors (OFs). Third, the authors simulated and measured 2D dose profiles and analyzed the differences in terms of field flatness and symmetry and usable field size. Fourth, the authors designed a simple experiment using a half-beam shifter to assess the effects of multiple Coulomb scattering, beam divergence, and inverse square attenuation on lateral and longitudinal dose profiles measured and simulated in a water phantom. Fifth, TOPAS' capabilities to simulate time dependent beam delivery was benchmarked against dose rate functions (i.e., dose per unit time vs time) measured at different depths inside an SOBP field. Sixth, simulations of the charge deposited by protons fully stopping in two different types of multilayer Faraday cups (MLFCs) were compared with measurements to benchmark the nuclear interaction models used in the simulations. RESULTS SOBPs' range and modulation width were reproduced, on average, with an accuracy of +1, -2 and ±3 mm, respectively. OF simulations reproduced measured data within ±3%. Simulated 2D dose-profiles show field flatness and average field radius within ±3% of measured profiles. The field symmetry resulted, on average in ±3% agreement with commissioned profiles. TOPAS accuracy in reproducing measured dose profiles downstream the half beam shifter is better than 2%. Dose rate function simulation reproduced the measurements within ∼2% showing that the four-dimensional modeling of the passively modulation system was implement correctly and millimeter accuracy can be achieved in reproducing measured data. For MLFCs simulations, 2% agreement was found between TOPAS and both sets of experimental measurements. The overall results show that TOPAS simulations are within the clinical accepted tolerances for all QA measurements performed at our institution. CONCLUSIONS Our Monte Carlo simulations reproduced accurately the experimental data acquired through all the measurements performed in this study. Thus, TOPAS can reliably be applied to quality assurance for proton therapy and also as an input for commissioning of commercial treatment planning systems. This work also provides the basis for routine clinical dose calculations in patients for all passive scattering proton therapy centers using TOPAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Testa
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard University Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114
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Sterpin E, Sorriaux J, Vynckier S. Extension of PENELOPE to protons: Simulation of nuclear reactions and benchmark with Geant4. Med Phys 2013; 40:111705. [DOI: 10.1118/1.4823469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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Robert C, Dedes G, Battistoni G, Böhlen TT, Buvat I, Cerutti F, Chin MPW, Ferrari A, Gueth P, Kurz C, Lestand L, Mairani A, Montarou G, Nicolini R, Ortega PG, Parodi K, Prezado Y, Sala PR, Sarrut D, Testa E. Distributions of secondary particles in proton and carbon-ion therapy: a comparison between GATE/Geant4 and FLUKA Monte Carlo codes. Phys Med Biol 2013; 58:2879-99. [DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/58/9/2879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Moskvin V, Cheng CW, Zhao Q, Das IJ. Comment on “Comparison of secondary neutron dose in proton therapy resulting from the use of a tungsten alloy MLC or a brass collimator system” [Med. Phys. 38(11), 6248-6256 (2011)]. Med Phys 2012; 39:2303-5; author reply 2306-9. [DOI: 10.1118/1.3694489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Seravalli E, Robert C, Bauer J, Stichelbaut F, Kurz C, Smeets J, Van Ngoc Ty C, Schaart DR, Buvat I, Parodi K, Verhaegen F. Monte Carlo calculations of positron emitter yields in proton radiotherapy. Phys Med Biol 2012; 57:1659-73. [PMID: 22398196 DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/57/6/1659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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