Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

An iterating method to investigate the geometry of range modulation wheel in passive proton therapy

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Z. Tabatabaeian 1
M. Sadeghi 2

1 Department of Physics, Payame Noor University, P.O.Box: 19395-4697, Tehran - Iran

2 Medical Physics Department, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Postalcode: 14155-6183, Tehran - Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2020.1113
Abstract
In the treatment of the  tumors using proton therapy, the synchrotron emits a monoenergetic beam that transports most of its energy in a special position after entering the target. There are two approaches to invading the entire tumor tissue. One of these methods, which the present work deals with, is known as passive scattering. The proton beam should be passed through a rotating scatterer, called modulation wheel, to cover the total volume of the tumor. This scattering device, in its turning, places different thicknesses of materials on the path of the proton and converts this monoenergetic beam to a spectrum with lower energy. This beam is absorbed in the lower depth of the tissue. The goal of this approach is to achieve an energy absorption curve with a maximum flat area in the tumor volume and a fast reduction to zero after passing through the tumor. Investigating the effect of materials and the geometric changes of the dispersive components in the path of the proton beam is a significant issue affecting the shape of the absorption curve. Using the Geant4 toolkit which is based on the Monte Carlo method, this dispersive system was simulated. The calculation of the geometric characteristics of the range modulator wheel, which leads to a flattened absorption curve in the tumor area, has been studied in the literature. In the present work, a Python program with an iterative algorithm has been written to design an acceptable plane curve.

Highlights

1.             E.J. Hall, Radiobiology for the Radiologist, fifth ed. (Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2012).

 

2.             D. Haas-Kogan, et al, National Cancer Institute Workshop on Proton Therapy for Children: Considerations Regarding Brainstem Injury, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 101 (1), 152-168 (2018).

 

3.             K.A. Higgins, e.al. National Cancer Database Analysis of Proton Versus Photon Radiation Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 97, 128-137 (2017).

 

4.             A. Tran, et al. Treatment planning comparison of IMPT, VMAT and 4π radiotherapy for prostate cases. Radiation Oncology, 12 (1), 10, (2017).

 

5.             J.M. Ryckman, Using MCNPX to calculate primaryand secondary dose in proton therapy. M. S. Thesis. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.

 

6.             D.W. Newhauser and R. Zhang, The physics of proton therapy, Physics in Medicine & Biology, 60, 155 –209 (2015).

 

7.             B. Gottschalk, Passive Beam Spreading in Proton Radiation Therapy, Laboratory, H.H.E.P. (Ed.), Harvard High Energy Physics Laboratory, (2004). http://huhepl.harvard.edu/˜gottschalk.

 

8.             S.B. Jia, et al. Designing a range modulator wheel to spread-out the Bragg peak for a passive proton therapy facility. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment. 9, 101-108 (2016).

 

9.             G.A.P. Cirrone, et al, Hadrontherapy: a Geant4-Based Tool for Proton/Ion-Therapy Studies, Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology, 2, 207-212 (2011).

 

10.          T. Bortfeld , H. Paganetti, H. Kooy, Proton Beam Radiotherapy-The State of the Art, New Technologies in Radiation Onchology, 32,  2048-2049 (2005).

 

11.          F. Guan, Application of dynamic monte carlo technique in proton beam radiotherapy using Geant4 Simulation toolkit, PhD Thesis. Texas A&M University, (2012).

 

12.          D. Nichiporov, et al. Beam characteristics in two different proton uniform scanning systems: A side-by-side comparison, Medical Physics, 39(5), 2558-2568 (2012).

 

13.          M.J. Berger, J.S. Coursey, M. A. Zucker, J. Chang, Stopping-Power & range tables for electrons, protons and helium ions, NIST Standard Reference Database. https://www.nist.gov/pml/stopping-power-range-tables-electrons-protons-and-helium-ions.

 

14.          C.A. Tobias, et al. Pituitary irradiation with high-energy proton beams a preliminary report, Cancer Research, 18 (2),  121-141 (1958).

 

15.          F. Guan, Design and simulation of passive-scattering nozzle in proton beam radiotherapy, Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University, (2009).

Keywords

Simulation
Monte Carlo
Geant4
Proton therapy
Range modulation wheel
1.             E.J. Hall, Radiobiology for the Radiologist, fifth ed. (Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2012).
 
2.             D. Haas-Kogan, et al, National Cancer Institute Workshop on Proton Therapy for Children: Considerations Regarding Brainstem Injury, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 101 (1), 152-168 (2018).
 
3.             K.A. Higgins, e.al. National Cancer Database Analysis of Proton Versus Photon Radiation Therapy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, 97, 128-137 (2017).
 
4.             A. Tran, et al. Treatment planning comparison of IMPT, VMAT and 4π radiotherapy for prostate cases. Radiation Oncology, 12 (1), 10, (2017).
 
5.             J.M. Ryckman, Using MCNPX to calculate primaryand secondary dose in proton therapy. M. S. Thesis. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.
 
6.             D.W. Newhauser and R. Zhang, The physics of proton therapy, Physics in Medicine & Biology, 60, 155 –209 (2015).
 
7.             B. Gottschalk, Passive Beam Spreading in Proton Radiation Therapy, Laboratory, H.H.E.P. (Ed.), Harvard High Energy Physics Laboratory, (2004). http://huhepl.harvard.edu/˜gottschalk.
 
8.             S.B. Jia, et al. Designing a range modulator wheel to spread-out the Bragg peak for a passive proton therapy facility. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment. 9, 101-108 (2016).
 
9.             G.A.P. Cirrone, et al, Hadrontherapy: a Geant4-Based Tool for Proton/Ion-Therapy Studies, Progress in Nuclear Science and Technology, 2, 207-212 (2011).
 
10.          T. Bortfeld , H. Paganetti, H. Kooy, Proton Beam Radiotherapy-The State of the Art, New Technologies in Radiation Onchology, 32,  2048-2049 (2005).
 
11.          F. Guan, Application of dynamic monte carlo technique in proton beam radiotherapy using Geant4 Simulation toolkit, PhD Thesis. Texas A&M University, (2012).
 
12.          D. Nichiporov, et al. Beam characteristics in two different proton uniform scanning systems: A side-by-side comparison, Medical Physics, 39(5), 2558-2568 (2012).
 
13.          M.J. Berger, J.S. Coursey, M. A. Zucker, J. Chang, Stopping-Power & range tables for electrons, protons and helium ions, NIST Standard Reference Database. https://www.nist.gov/pml/stopping-power-range-tables-electrons-protons-and-helium-ions.
 
14.          C.A. Tobias, et al. Pituitary irradiation with high-energy proton beams a preliminary report, Cancer Research, 18 (2),  121-141 (1958).
 
15.          F. Guan, Design and simulation of passive-scattering nozzle in proton beam radiotherapy, Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University, (2009).

Home