Geant4-deoxyribonucleic Acid Simulation of Radiation-induced Deoxyribonucleic Acid Damage in a Human Cancer Cell Line

Ionizing radiation causes deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage through both direct and indirect mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate and quantify the biological response of ion beams in biological matter and the radiation-induced DNA damage using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The study provides insights into the potential benefits of novel helium ion beams in charged-particle cancer therapy.

The Geant4-DNA MC toolkit was used to study the biological response to radiation and the resulting DNA damage. The MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cancer cell line was simulated. Helium ion beams with varying linear energy transfer values were irradiated onto the cancer cell line.

The radiobiological endpoints, in terms of damage yield and the single-strand break (SSB)/double-strand break (DSB) ratio, for the MCF-7 cancer cell line were retrieved and compared with published simulation-based studies and experimental studies. The damage yield and SSB/DSB ratio in this study were in good agreement with published simulation-based studies. However, the DSB yield in this study was higher than the experimental results from published studies.

This study demonstrated the capabilities of the Geant4-DNA MC techniques in providing a mechanistic understanding of radiation-induced DNA damage in human cancer cell lines and quantifying the resulting DNA damage.