title: A dosimetric study of prostate brachytherapy using Monte Carlo simulations with a voxel phantom, measurements and a comparison with a treatment planning procedure.
abstract: In prostate brachytherapy treatments, there is an initial swelling of the prostate of the patient due to an oedema related to the insertion of the seeds. The variation of the prostate volume can lead to variations in the final prescribed dose in treatment planning procedures. As such, it is important to understand their influence for dose optimisation purposes. This work reports on a dosimetric study of the swelling of the prostate in prostate brachytherapy using Monte Carlo simulations. Dosimetric measurements performed on a physical anthropomorphic tissue-equivalent prostate phantom and thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were used to validate the MC model. Finally the MC model was also used to simulate prostate swelling in a real treatment planning procedure. The obtained results indicate that the parameters mentioned above represent a source of uncertainty in dose assessment in prostate brachytherapy, and can be detrimental to a correct dose evaluation in treatment plannings, and that these parameters can be accurately determined by means of MC simulations with a voxel phantom.
authors: CTN Pólo de Loures, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS, Portugal ppteles@ctn.ist.utl.pt silviabarros@ctn.ist.utl.pt.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Teles
authors: CTN Pólo de Loures, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS, Portugal ppteles@ctn.ist.utl.pt silviabarros@ctn.ist.utl.pt.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Barros
authors: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Pedro Calmon, 550, Rio de Janeiro 21941-901, Brazil.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Cardoso
authors: Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, Rua Gal Severiano, 90, Rio de Janeiro 22290-901, Brazil.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Facure
authors: Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria, Av. Salvador Allende, Rio de Janeiro 22780-160, Brazil.
authors: L A R
authors: LA
authors: da Rosa
authors: Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria, Av. Salvador Allende, Rio de Janeiro 22780-160, Brazil.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Santos
authors: Dosimetrika, Avenida Olegário Maciel, 231 - Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, 22621-200, Brazil.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Pereira
authors: CTN Pólo de Loures, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Estrada Nacional 10 (km 139,7), 2695-066 Bobadela, LRS, Portugal.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Vaz
authors: Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Zankl
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000886:Anthropometry; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry / Q000379:methods*