title: Monte Carlo based dosimetry and treatment planning for neutron capture therapy of brain tumors.
abstract: Monte Carlo based dosimetry and computer-aided treatment planning for neutron capture therapy have been developed to provide the necessary link between physical dosimetric measurements performed on the MITR-II epithermal-neutron beams and the need of the radiation oncologist to synthesize large amounts of dosimetric data into a clinically meaningful treatment plan for each individual patient. Monte Carlo simulation has been employed to characterize the spatial dose distributions within a skull/brain model irradiated by an epithermal-neutron beam designed for neutron capture therapy applications. The geometry and elemental composition employed for the mathematical skull/brain model and the neutron and photon fluence-to-dose conversion formalism are presented. A treatment planning program, NCTPLAN, developed specifically for neutron capture therapy, is described. Examples are presented illustrating both one and two-dimensional dose distributions obtainable within the brain with an experimental epithermal-neutron beam, together with beam quality and treatment plan efficacy criteria which have been formulated for neutron capture therapy. The incorporation of three-dimensional computed tomographic image data into the treatment planning procedure is illustrated. The experimental epithermal-neutron beam has a maximum usable circular diameter of 20 cm, and with 30 ppm of B-10 in tumor and 3 ppm of B-10 in blood, it produces (with RBE weighting) a beam-axis advantage depth of 7.4 cm, a beam-axis advantage ratio of 1.83, a global advantage ratio of 1.70, and an advantage depth RBE-dose rate to tumor of 20.6 RBE-cGy/min (cJ/kg-min). These characteristics make this beam well suited for clinical applications, enabling an RBE-dose of 2,000 RBE-cGy/min (cJ/kg-min) to be delivered to tumor at brain midline in six fractions with a treatment time of approximately 16 minutes per fraction. With parallel-opposed lateral irradiation, the planar advantage depth contour for this beam (with the B-10 distribution defined above) encompasses nearly the whole brain. Experimental calibration techniques for the conversion of normalized to absolute treatment plans are described.
authors: Department of Radiation Oncology, Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, MA.
authors: R G
authors: RG
authors: Zamenhof
authors: S D
authors: SD
authors: Clement
authors: O K
authors: OK
authors: Harling
authors: J F
authors: JF
authors: Brenner
authors: D E
authors: DE
authors: Wazer
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Madoc-Jones
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Yanch
mesh_terms: D001895:Boron / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D007554:Isotopes; D008961:Models, Structural; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009502:Neutrons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011874:Radiometry; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D001895:Boron