Open AccessTechnical Note: Monte Carlo calculations of the AAPM TG ‐43 brachytherapy dosimetry parameters for a new titanium‐encapsulated Yb‐169 source
Author(s) -
Reynoso Francisco J.,
Munro III John J.,
Cho Sang Hyun
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of applied clinical medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.83
H-Index - 48
ISSN - 1526-9914
DOI - 10.1002/acm2.12111
Subject(s) - brachytherapy , monte carlo method , materials science , titanium , dosimetry , nuclear engineering , source model , anisotropy , radiation , radiochemistry , computational physics , nuclear medicine , physics , chemistry , nuclear physics , optics , radiation therapy , metallurgy , mathematics , medicine , statistics , engineering
Due to a number of distinct advantages resulting from the relatively low energy gamma ray spectrum of Yb‐169, various designs of Yb‐169 sources have been developed over the years for brachytherapy applications. Lately, Yb‐169 has also been suggested as an effective and practical radioisotope option for a novel radiation treatment approach often known as gold nanoparticle‐aided radiation therapy ( GNRT ). In a recently published study, the current investigators used the Monte Carlo N‐Particle Version 5 ( MCNP 5) code to design a novel titanium‐encapsulated Yb‐169 source optimized for GNRT applications. In this study, the original MC source model was modified to accurately match the specifications of the manufactured Yb‐169 source. The modified MC model was then used to obtain a complete set of the AAPM TG ‐43 parameters for the new titanium‐encapsulated Yb‐169 source. The MC ‐calculated dose rate constant for this titanium‐encapsulated Yb‐169 source was 1.19 ± 0.03 c G y · h − 1 · U − 1, indicating no significant change from the values reported for stainless steel‐encapsulated Yb‐169 sources. The source anisotropy and radial dose function for the new source were also found similar to those reported for the stainless steel‐encapsulated Yb‐169 sources. The current results suggest that the use of titanium, instead of stainless steel, to encapsulate the Yb‐169 core would not lead to any major change in the dosimetric characteristics of the Yb‐169 source. The results also show that the titanium encapsulation of the Yb‐169 source could be accomplished while meeting the design goals as described in the current investigators’ published MC optimization study for GNRT applications.