Tissue composition effect on dose distribution in radiotherapy with a 6 MV photon beam of a medical linac.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of this study is to evaluate soft-tissue composition effect on dose distribution for various soft tissues in radiotherapy with a 6 MV photon beam of a medical linac. BACKGROUND: The compositions of various soft tissues are different which could affect dose calculations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A phantom and Siemens Primus linear accelerator were simulated using MCNPX Monte Carlo code. In a homogeneous cubic phantom, six types of soft tissue and three types of tissue-equivalent materials were defined separately. The soft tissues were muscle (skeletal), adipose tissue, blood (whole), breast tissue, soft tissue (9-component), and soft tissue (4-component). The tissue-equivalent materials included water, A-150 tissue equivalent plastic and perspex. Photon dose relative to dose in 9-component soft tissue at various depths on the beam's central axis was determined for the 6 MV photon beam. The relative dose was also calculated and compared for various MCNPX tallies including *F8, F6, and *F4. RESULTS: The results of the relative photon dose in various materials relative to dose in 9-component soft tissue using different tallies are reported in the form of tabulated data. Minor differences between dose distributions in various soft tissues and tissue-equivalent materials were observed. The results from F6 and F4 were practically the same but differ with the *F8 tally. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the calculations performed, the differences in dose distributions in various soft tissues and tissue-equivalent materials are minor but they could be corrected in radiotherapy calculations to upgrade the accuracy of the dosimetric calculations.