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Monte Carlo-based treatment planning for boron neutron capture therapy using custom designed models automatically
R Zamenhof1, E Redmond, G Solares
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. zamenhof@mit.edu
Summary
NCTPLAN, a Monte Carlo code for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), accurately models dose distributions, aiding treatment planning for brain tumors. It optimizes boron concentrations for improved therapeutic gain in BNCT.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Radiation Oncology
- Computational Biology
Background:
- Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is an advanced radiotherapy technique.
- Accurate dose calculation is crucial for effective BNCT treatment planning.
- Existing methods require robust computational tools for simulating complex biological interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and present NCTPLAN, a Monte Carlo-based treatment planning code for BNCT.
- To support BNCT irradiations in clinical protocols, including peripheral melanoma.
- To illustrate the code's design and applications in real-world scenarios.
Main Methods:
- Utilized thin-slice Computed Tomography (CT) image data to create heterogeneous models.
- Employed the Monte Carlo simulation code MCNP for dose distribution calculations.
- Validated NCTPLAN results using experimental mixed-field dosimetry and phantom studies.
- Visualized dose distributions as isocontours superimposed on CT images.
Main Results:
- NCTPLAN demonstrated good agreement between computational results and experimental measurements in a head phantom.
- Calculated gain factors for epithermal neutron beams showed potential for therapeutic improvement.
- Demonstrated successful implementation of the code under clinical conditions.
Conclusions:
- NCTPLAN is well-suited for BNCT treatment planning, providing accurate dose evaluations.
- The code effectively visualizes dose distributions in tumors and normal tissues.
- Increasing tumor boron concentration offers greater therapeutic advantage than solely increasing the tumor-to-normal brain ratio for the M67 epithermal neutron beam.