Differential dose contributions on total dose distribution of I-125 brachytherapy source

This work provides an improvement of the approach using Monte Carlo simulation for the Amersham Model 6711 I-125 brachytherapy seed source, which is well known by many theoretical and experimental studies. The source which has simple geometry was researched with respect to criteria of AAPM Tg-43 Report. The approach offered by this study involves determination of differential dose contributions that come from virtual partitions of amassive radioactive element of the studied source to a total dose at analytical calculation point. Some brachytherapy seeds contain multi-radioactive elements so the dose at any point is a total of separate doses from each element. It is momentous to know well the angular and radial dose distributions around the source that is located in cancerous tissue for clinical treatments. Interior geometry of a source is effective on dose characteristics of a distribution. Dose information of inner geometrical structure of a brachytherapy source cannot be acquired by experimental methods because of limits of physical material and geometry in the healthy tissue, so Monte Carlo simulation is a required approach of the study. EGSnrc Monte Carlo simulation software was used. In the design of a simulation, the radioactive source was divided into 10 rings, partitioned but not separate from each other. All differential sources were simulated for dose calculation, and the shape of dose distribution was determined comparatively distribution of a single-complete source. In this work anisotropy function was examined also mathematically. (C) 2010 Greater Poland Cancer Centre, Poland. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z.o.o. All rights reserved.