title: Monte Carlo dose calculations in the treatment of a pelvis with implant and comparison with pencil-beam calculations.
abstract: In the present paper, dose distribution calculated with the Monte Carlo code EGS4 and with a pencil-beam algorithm are compared for the treatment of a pelvis with an implant. Overestimations of dose values inside the target volume by the pencil-beam algorithm of up to 10% were found, which are attributed to the underestimation of the absorption of photons by the implant. The differences in dose distributions are also expressed by comparing the tumor control probability (TCP) of the Monte Carlo dose calculations with the TCP of the pencil-beam calculations. A TCP reduction of order of 30% was found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Legacy Health System, Portland, OR, USA.
authors.forename: Wolfram U
authors.initials: WU
authors.lastname: Laub
authors.forename: Fridtjof
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nüsslin
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D006622:Hip Prosthesis; D006801:Humans; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D010386:Pelvic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010388:Pelvis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal; D011882:Radiotherapy, High-Energy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed