Microdosimetric study for secondary neutrons in phantom produced by a 290 MeV/nucleon carbon beam

Journal Article · Sat Sep 15 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Medical Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1118/1.2767933· OSTI ID:21032693

Endo, Satoru; Tanaka, Kenichi; Takada, Masashi; Onizuka, Yoshihiko; Miyahara, Nobuyuki; Sato, Tatsuhiko; Ishikawa, Masayori; Maeda, Naoko; Hayabuchi, Naofumi; Shizuma, Kiyoshi; Hoshi, Masaharu ^[1]

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1. Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553 (Japan)

Absorbed doses from main charged-particle beams and charged-particle fragments have been measured with high accuracy for particle therapy, but there are few reports for doses from neutron components produced as fragments. This study describes the measurements on neutron doses produced by carbon beams; microdosimetric distributions of secondary neutrons produced by 290 MeV/nucleon carbon beams have been measured by using a tissue equivalent proportional counter at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba, Japan at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences. The microdosimetric distributions of the secondary neutron were measured on the distal and lateral faces of a body-simulated acrylic phantom (300 mm heightx300 mm widthx253 mm thickness). To confirm the dose measurements, the neutron energy spectra produced by incident carbon beams in the acrylic phantom were simulated by the particle and heavy ion transport code system. The absorbed doses obtained by multiplying the simulated neutron energy spectra with the kerma factor calculated by MCNPX agree with the corresponding experimental data fairly well. Downstream of the Bragg peak, the ratio of the neutron dose to the carbon dose at the Bragg peak was found to be a maximum of 1.4x10{sup -4} and the ratio of neutron dose was a maximum of 3.0x10{sup -7} at a lateral face of the acrylic phantom. The ratios of neutrons to charged particle fragments were 11% to 89% in the absorbed doses at the lateral and the distal faces of the acrylic phantom. We can conclude that the treatment dose will not induce serious secondary neutron effects at distances greater than 90 mm from the Bragg peak in carbon particle therapy.

• OSTI ID: 21032693
• Journal Information: Medical Physics, Journal Name: Medical Physics Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 34; ISSN 0094-2405; ISSN MPHYA6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
BRAGG CURVE
CARBON
ENERGY SPECTRA
HEAVY IONS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRON BEAMS
PHANTOMS
PROPORTIONAL COUNTERS
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOTHERAPY
SIMULATION