Simulation and experimental verification of ambient neutron doses in a pencil beam scanning proton therapy room as a function of treatment plan parameters.

ABSTRACT: Out-of-field patient doses in proton therapy are dominated by neutrons. Currently, they are not taken into account by treatment planning systems. There is an increasing need to include out-of-field doses in the dose calculation, especially when treating children, pregnant patients, and patients with implants. In response to this demand, this work presents the first steps towards a tool for the prediction of out-of-field neutron doses in pencil beam scanning proton therapy facilities. As a first step, a general Monte Carlo radiation transport model for simulation of out-of-field neutron doses was set up and successfully verified by comparison of simulated and measured ambient neutron dose equivalent and neutron fluence energy spectra around a solid water phantom irradiated with a variation

SUBMITTER: Van Hoey O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9494550 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature