A complete workflow for utilizing Monte Carlo toolkits in clinical cases for a double-scattering proton therapy system

A Geant4 based simulation platform of the HollandPTC R&D proton beamline for radiobiological studies

A Geant4 based simulation platform of the Holland Proton Therapy Centre (HollandPTC, Netherlands) R&D beamline (G4HPTC-R&D) was developed to enable the planning, optimisation and advanced dosimetry for radiobiological studies. It implemented a six parameter non-symmetrical Gaussian pencil beam surrogate model to simulate the R&D beamline in both a pencil beam and passively scattered field configuration. Three different experimental proton datasets (70 MeV, 150 MeV, and 240 MeV) of the pencil beam envelope evolution in free air and depth-dose profiles in water were used to develop a set of individual parameter surrogate functions to enable the modelling of the non-symmetrical Gaussian pencil beam properties with only the ProBeam isochronous cyclotron mean extraction proton energy as input. This refined beam model was then benchmarked with respect to three independent experimental datasets of the R&D beamline operating in both a pencil beam configuration at 120 and 200 MeV, and passively scattered field configuration at 150 MeV. It was shown that the G4HPTC-R&D simulation platform can reproduce the pencil beam envelope evolution in free air and depth-dose profiles to within an accuracy on the order of ±5% for all tested energies, and that it was able to reproduce the 150 MeV passively scattered field to the specifications need for clinical and radiobiological applications.

3-D Protoacoustic Imaging Through a Planar Ultrasound Array: A Simulation Workflow

Bragg peak range uncertainties are a persistent constraint in proton therapy. Pulsed proton beams generate protoacoustic emissions proportional to absorbed proton energy, thereby encoding dosimetry information in a detectable acoustic wave. Here, we seek to derive and model 3D protoacoustic imaging with an ultrasound array and examine the frequency characteristics of protoacoustic emissions. A formalism is presented through which protoacoustic signals can be characterized considering transducer bandwidth as well as pulse duration of the incident beam. We have also collected an experimental proton beam intensity signal from a Mevion S250 clinical machine to analyze our formalism. We also show that proton-acoustic image reconstruction is possible even when the noise amplitude is larger than the signal amplitude on individual transducers. We find that a 4μ s Gaussian proton pulse can generate a signal in the range of MHz as long as the spatial heating function has sufficiently high temperature gradients.

Utilizing 3D Slicer to incorporate tomographic images into GATE Monte Carlo simulation for personalized dosimetry in yttrium-90 radioembolization

PURPOSE

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is an important technique that can help design advanced and challenging experimental setups. GATE (Geant4 application for tomographic emission) is a useful simulation toolkit for applications in nuclear medicine. Transarterial radioembolization is a treatment for liver cancer, where microspheres embedded with yttrium-90 (⁹⁰ Y) are administered intra-arterially to the tumor. Personalized dosimetry for this treatment may provide higher dosimetry accuracy compared to the conventional partition model (PM) calculation. However, incorporation of three-dimensional tomographic input data into MC simulation is an intricate process. In this article, 3D Slicer, free and open-source software, was utilized for the incorporation of patient tomographic images into GATE to demonstrate the feasibility of personalized dosimetry in hepatic radioembolization with ⁹⁰ Y.

METHODS

In this article, the steps involved in importing, segmenting, and registering tomographic images using 3D Slicer were thoroughly described, before importing them into GATE for MC simulation. The absorbed doses estimated using GATE were then compared with that of PM. SlicerRT, a 3D Slicer extension, was then used to visualize the isodose from the MC simulation.

RESULTS

A workflow diagram consisting of all the steps taken in the utilization of 3D Slicer for personalized dosimetry in ⁹⁰ Y radioembolization has been presented in this article. In comparison to the MC simulation, the absorbed doses to the tumor and normal liver were overestimated by PM by 105.55% and 20.23%, respectively, whereas for lungs, the absorbed dose estimated by PM was underestimated by 25.32%. These values were supported by the isodose distribution obtained via SlicerRT, suggesting the presence of beta particles outside the volumes of interest. These findings demonstrate the importance of personalized dosimetry for a more accurate absorbed dose estimation compared to PM.

CONCLUSION

The methodology provided in this study can assist users (especially students or researchers who are new to MC simulation) in navigating intricate steps required in the importation of tomographic data for MC simulation. These steps can also be utilized for other radiation therapy related applications, not necessarily limited to internal dosimetry.