Calculation of beta radiation dose of a circular Y-90 skin patch: Analytical and simulation methods

Publication date: Available online 11 September 2019Source: Radiation Physics and ChemistryAuthor(s): Ali Pashazadeh, Eduardo de Paiva, Naghmeh Mahmoodian, Michael FriebeAbstractBeta radiation therapy of superficial thin skin tumors using a radioactive patch is an interesting treatment, mainly when the lesion is near sensitive targets, for example, close to the eyes or bone structures. Due to their short range and rapid dose fall-off, beta radiation from a skin patch deposits its energy within the first layers of the skin. This property may lead to the protection of sensitive structures located right beneath the skin lesion during the radiation therapy procedure. To create and use individual and personalized radiation patches the distribution of the beta radiation dose needs to be known. An accurate and realistic calculation is needed to determine the amount of radioisotope required and the duration of the radiation therapy procedure to produce enough cell-killing radiation in a certain depth from the surface. In this paper, the theoretical model for a dose distribution calculation from a radioactive skin patch loaded with Yttrium-90 (Y-90) in different depths of skin tissue is presented. The calculation was based on the Loevinger beta-point source dose function, which is a numerical method for dosimetry of beta-emitting isotopes. Results of the calculation were also compared with that of Monte Carlo simulation methods to assess the reliability of the application of the Loevi...
Source: Radiation Physics and Chemistry - Category: Physics Source Type: research