ALGEBRA: ALgorithm for the heterogeneous dosimetry based on GEANT4 for BRAchytherapy.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Task Group 43 (TG43) dosimetry algorithms are standard for brachytherapy but rely on water-based calculations, neglecting human tissue variations.
• TG43 methods overlook interseed attenuation, a significant factor in dose distribution accuracy.
• There is a recognized need for more precise dosimetry platforms in brachytherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce ALGEBRA, a novel Monte Carlo simulation platform for brachytherapy dosimetry.
• To provide a fast and accurate dosimetry solution suitable for both clinical practice and research.
• To overcome the limitations of existing TG43-based algorithms.

Main Methods:

• ALGEBRA utilizes the GEANT4 Monte Carlo toolkit for high-fidelity simulations.
• The platform supports the DICOM RT standard for creating patient-specific virtual treatment models.
• Performance is evaluated for Low-Dose-Rate (LDR) brachytherapy in prostate and breast seed implants.

Main Results:

• ALGEBRA demonstrates accuracy and speed for brachytherapy dosimetry, exceeding TG43 limitations.
• The platform effectively models human tissue compositions and densities.
• Interseed attenuation is accurately accounted for in the simulations.

Conclusions:

• ALGEBRA provides a robust and efficient Monte Carlo platform for brachytherapy dosimetry.
• It offers improved accuracy over TG43 methods, especially in non-water-equivalent tissues.
• The platform is versatile, applicable to LDR and potentially High-Dose-Rate (HDR) brachytherapy.