Dosimetric evaluation of gold nanoparticle aided intraoperative radiotherapy with the intrabeam system using Monte Carlo simulations
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2021
Abstract
Radiosensitization using high atomic number nanoparticles (NPs) has been shown to be an effective method to enhance radiotherapy efficiency. The pathways by which NPs cause sensitization, are generally categorized as physical, chemical and biological effects. Specifically in the case of keV photon radiotherapy where the contribution of physical effects in radiosensitization mechanism is considerable, Monte Carlo (MC) simulations have been an efficient tool to predict the radioenhancement level and to calculate dose enhancement factor (DEF). To-date, several analytical, simulational and experimental studies have reported the radiosensitization effect of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in various brachytherapy situations. In this work we report for the first time, the DEFs achievable in intraoperative radiotherapy through use of the Intrabeam system and its spherical applicators with addition of GNPs. The MCNPX Monte Carlo code was used for radiation transport and dose calculations. The results of macroscopic and microscopic analysis show that for the Intrabeam system and a homogeneous distribution of 50 nm diameter GNPs, respective DEFs of up to some 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 in the tumour bed can be achieved with 5, 10, 15 and 20 mg/g concentrations. Due to rapid change in electron spectra, DEFs greater than 1 mm separation from the applicator surface decrease with distance, offering an additional advantage.
Keywords
Gold nanoparticle, Monte Carlo simulation, Dose enhancement, Intraoperative radiotherapy, Intrabeam
Divisions
Science
Funders
University of Malaya RU Grant (GPF036B-2018),Malaysia Ministry of Education FRGS Grant (FP032-2017A)
Publication Title
Radiation Physics and Chemistry
Volume
178
Issue
SI
Publisher
Elsevier
Publisher Location
THE BOULEVARD, LANGFORD LANE, KIDLINGTON, OXFORD OX5 1GB, ENGLAND