Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026
Positron Emission Tomography-based Dose Painting Radiation Therapy in a Glioblastoma Rat Model using the Small Animal Radiation Research Platform
Published on: March 24, 2022
Improved dose-calculation accuracy in proton treatment planning using a simplified Monte Carlo method verified with
Kenji Hotta1, Ryosuke Kohno, Yoshihisa Takada
1Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan.
Abstract:
Treatment planning for proton tumor therapy requires a fast and accurate dose-calculation method. We have implemented a simplified Monte Carlo (SMC) method in the treatment planning system of the National Cancer Center Hospital East for the double-scattering beam delivery scheme. The SMC method takes into account the scattering effect in materials more accurately than the pencil beam algorithm by tracking individual proton paths. We confirmed that the SMC method reproduced measured dose distributions in a heterogeneous slab phantom better than the pencil beam method. When applied to a complex anthropomorphic phantom, the SMC method reproduced the measured dose distribution well, satisfying an accuracy tolerance of 3 mm and 3% in the gamma index analysis. The SMC method required approximately 30 min to complete the calculation over a target volume of 500 cc, much less than the time required for the full Monte Carlo calculation. The SMC method is a candidate for a practical calculation technique with sufficient accuracy for clinical application.
