Influence of beam incidence and irradiation parameters on stray neutron doses to healthy organs of pediatric patients treated for an intracranial tumor with passive scattering proton therapy

Proton therapy is one of the external radiation therapy techniques which enables a highly conformal dose delivery to the target volume while sparing organs at risk (OAR) nearby [1]. However, secondary neutrons generated by proton nuclear interactions with beam line elements (called external neutrons) and within the patient himself (called internal neutrons) raise a true concern, especially for pediatric patients, as they increase the lifetime risk of developing a secondary malignancy [2–4]. Thus, experimental measurements [5–7] and Monte Carlo (MC) calculations [8–10] have been extensively used to assess the exposure of healthy organs to stray neutrons.
Source: Physica Medica: European Journal of Medical Physics - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Original Paper Source Type: research