Study on induced radioactivity and individual dose evaluation in Gantry room for Varian ProBeam Proton Therapy System.

Proton therapy has emerged as an advantageous modality for tumor radiotherapy due to its favorable physical and biological properties. However, this therapy generates induced radioactivity through nuclear reactions between the primary beam, secondary particles, and surrounding materials. This study focuses on systematically investigating the induced radioactivity in the gantry room during pencil beam scanning, utilizing both experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. Results indicate that patients are the primary source of induced radioactivity, predominantly producing radionuclides such as 11C, 13N, and 15O. Long-term irradiation primarily generates radionuclides like 22Na, 24Na, and 54Mn etc. Additionally, this study estimates the individual doses received by medical workers in the gantry room, the irradiation dose for patient escorts, and the additional dose to patients from residual radiation. Finally, the study offers recommendations to minimize unnecessary irradiation doses to medical workers, patient escorts, and patients.

An investigation of neutron shielding and activation performances of four types of concrete for carbon ion therapy facility.

Carbon ions have unique physical and biological properties that allow for precise targeting of tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. The emitted neutrons dominate the radiation field in the treatment room and pose challenges for radiological shielding. Concrete is extensively utilized in the construction of radiotherapy facilities due to its good shielding characteristics, and it can be easily poured into the desired shapes and thickness. The difference in composition of concrete affects the characteristics of neutron attenuation and activation performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify the shielding properties and activation performances of four types of concrete for carbon ion therapy facilities. The Monte Carlo method is used to analyze the neutron spectra from thick targets upon carbon ion bombardment. Furthermore, the deep attenuation efficiency of the secondary neutron in different compositions of concrete is discussed. The shielding design is developed to ensure compliance with the prescribed dose limit outside the shielding during operation. Finally, the induced radioactivity in concrete is estimated for both short-term and long-term operation. The produced radionuclides inventories and depth profiling are determined. This study reveals the shielding and radioactivity issue of carbon ion therapy facilities and is expected to aid in the design or construction of similar facilities.

Induced radiation studies and personnel dose assessment in a carbon ion therapy facility.

Carbon ions have become the most widely used particles in heavy-ion tumor therapy due to favorable physical and biological characteristics. The beam delivery system (BDS) and tumor tissues are directly bombarded with accelerated carbon ions, resulting in activation products in the components and the patient's body. The results of an experimental study and a Monte-Carlo simulation for the radioactivity induced in a treatment room under a uniform scanning mode were presented in this study. They indicated that the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) and the patient's body were the main sources of induced radioactivity. The half-lives of the main produced radionuclides ranged from a few minutes to tens of minutes for single irradiation and from dozens of days to hundreds of days for long-term irradiation. The personal dose of medical staff working in the treatment room and the additional dose of the patient from the induced radioactivity were estimated. Finally, some suggestions were made to reduce the unwanted radiation exposure of the medical staff, patients, and carers.