A GATE Monte Carlo study on ICRP110 phantoms for BNCT dosimetry evaluation

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is gaining traction with new accelerator advancements and facilities.
• Accurate patient dosimetry is critical for BNCT due to complex radiation fields.
• Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are essential for modeling radiation transport in biological tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a prototype BNCT dosimetry workflow using MC simulations in the GATE toolkit.
• To investigate the feasibility of voxel-level dosimetry concerning simulation time and statistical uncertainty.
• To model dose distribution in human phantoms with varying Boron-10 concentrations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized ICRP110 male and female voxelized phantoms to represent human anatomy.
• Performed irradiation simulations using monoenergetic and clinical neutron spectra on the head region.
• Scored absorbed dose contributions from 7Li, alpha particles, protons, and photons with and without Boron-10.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated an increase in 7Li and alpha dose components in head organs with Boron-10 presence.
• Achieved average dose values of approximately 1.3 and 2.3 fGy/evt in the brain with 15 ppm of Boron-10.
• The developed workflow provides a foundation for future BNCT dosimetry studies.

Conclusions:

• The prototype BNCT dosimetry workflow is feasible for voxel-level simulations.
• Results highlight the importance of Boron-10 distribution for accurate dose calculation.
• The shared workflow facilitates further research and optimization for clinical BNCT applications.