Open AccessMAGIC polymer gel for dosimetric verification in boron neutron capture therapy
Author(s) -
Uusi–Simola Jouni,
Heikkinen Sami,
Kotiluoto Petri,
Serén Tom,
Seppälä Tiina,
Auterinen Iiro,
Savolainen Sauli
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1120/jacmp.v8i2.2409
Subject(s) - dosimeter , neutron capture , materials science , imaging phantom , irradiation , dosimetry , neutron , research reactor , linear particle accelerator , radiochemistry , monte carlo method , nuclear medicine , boron , nuclear engineering , beam (structure) , nuclear physics , physics , optics , chemistry , medicine , mathematics , statistics , engineering
Radiation‐sensitive polymer gels are among the most promising three‐dimensional dose verification tools developed to date. We tested the normoxic polymer gel dosimeter known by the acronym MAGIC (methacrylic and ascorbic acid in gelatin initiated by copper) to evaluate its use in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) dosimetry. We irradiated a large cylindrical gel phantom (diameter: 10 cm; length: 20 cm) in the epithermal neutron beam of the Finnish BNCT facility at the FiR 1 nuclear reactor. Neutron irradiation was simulated with a Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNP. To compare dose–response, gel samples from the same production batch were also irradiated with 6 MV photons from a medical linear accelerator. Irradiated gel phantoms then underwent magnetic resonance imaging to determine their R2 relaxation rate maps. The measured and normalized dose distribution in the epithermal neutron beam was compared with the dose distribution calculated by computer simulation. The results support the feasibility of using MAGIC gel in BNCT dosimetry. PACS numbers: 87.53.Qc, 87.53.Wz, 87.66.Ff