title: Monte Carlo dosimetry for synchrotron stereotactic radiotherapy of brain tumours.
abstract: A radiation dose enhancement can be obtained in brain tumours after infusion of an iodinated contrast agent and irradiation with kilovoltage x-rays in tomography mode. The aim of this study was to assess dosimetric properties of the synchrotron stereotactic radiotherapy technique applied to humans (SSR) for preparing clinical trials. We designed an interface for dose computation based on a Monte Carlo code (MCNPX). A patient head was constructed from computed tomography (CT) data and a tumour volume was modelled. Dose distributions were calculated in SSR configuration for various energy beam and iodine content in the target volume. From the calculations, it appears that the iodine-filled target (10 mg ml(-1)) can be efficiently irradiated by a monochromatic beam of energy ranging from 50 to 85 keV. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of stereotactic radiotherapy for treating deep-seated brain tumours with monoenergetic x-rays from a synchrotron.
authors.affiliation: INSERM-U647/ESRF European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, BP 220, 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boudou
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Balosso
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Estève
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elleaume
mesh_terms: D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D011874:Radiometry / Q000379:methods*; D016634:Radiosurgery / Q000379:methods*; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D017356:Synchrotrons