Monte Carlo and analytic calculation of absorbed dose near 137CS intracavitary sources

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Abstract

This paper presents dose-rate tables and treatment planning data needed to accurately implement the Sievert line-source integral, found on most commercial computer-aided treatment planning systems, for two recently introduced 137CS intracavitary sources. One source uses a high-density active core designed to reproduce the non-elliptical isodose curves characteristic of the traditional radium tube. The other source consists of two or three discrete 137CS seeds encapsulated in stainless steel. Using Monte Carlo dose-rate calculations as the standard of accuracy, we show that the Sievert model, using conventionally defined filtration corrections, overestimates kerma-rate in free space by as much as 20%. In addition, tissue attenuation and scatter build-up factors, derived from an isotropic point source, do not accurately characterize the distribution of scatter dose about heavily filtered sources. By varying the input parameters of the Sievert line-source integral so as to optimize its agreement with the more rigorous Monte Carlo data, accuracy of 3% can be achieved.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)227-237
Number of pages11
JournalInternational journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1988

Keywords

  • Cs
  • Dosimetry
  • Intracavitary brachytherapy
  • Monte Carlo simulation

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