MO-F-BRB-02: Macro Monte Carlo for Proton Dose Calculation in Different Materials

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Computational Physics
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Accurate dose calculation is crucial for proton therapy.
• Traditional Monte Carlo (MC) methods are computationally intensive, limiting their clinical application.
• There is a need for efficient and accurate dose calculation techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel macro Monte Carlo (MMC) technique for efficient proton dose calculations.
• To improve the speed of dose calculations without compromising accuracy.
• To validate the MMC method in homogeneous materials.

Main Methods:

• Developed a local to global MC approach for proton dose calculations.
• Utilized Geant4 for local simulations of proton pencil beams (10-250 MeV) in various materials.
• Scored energy loss and lateral displacement for particles, incorporating ion and neutron interactions.
• Validated MMC by comparing dose distributions with Geant4 for homogeneous phantoms.

Main Results:

• Integral depth dose curves agreed within 1% or 1 mm.
• Dose profiles showed agreement within 1% or 1 mm across all energies, depths, and materials.
• The MMC technique demonstrated approximately 200 times greater efficiency compared to Geant4.

Conclusions:

• The MMC method provides accurate and efficient proton dose calculations in homogeneous materials.
• The developed MMC technique shows potential for clinical application in proton therapy.
• Future work will focus on extending MMC to inhomogeneous materials for patient-specific dose calculations.