Secondary Neutron Doses for Several Beam Configurations for Proton Therapy

Dongho Shin, Myonggeun Yoon, Jungwon Kwak, Jungwook Shin, Se Byeong Lee, Sung Yong Park, Soah Park, Dae Yong Kim, Kwan Ho Cho

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: To compare possible neutron doses produced in scanning and scattering modes, with the latter assessed using a newly built passive-scattering proton beam line. Methods and Materials: A 40 × 30.5 × 30-cm water phantom was irradiated with 230-MeV proton beams using a gantry angle of 270°, a 10-cm-diameter snout, and a brass aperture with a diameter of 7 cm and a thickness of 6.5 cm. The secondary neutron doses during irradiation were measured at various points using CR-39 detectors, and these measurements were cross-checked using a neutron survey meter with a 22-cm range and a 5-cm spread-out Bragg peak. Results: The maximum doses due to secondary neutrons produced by a scattering beam-delivery system were on the order of 0.152 mSv/Gy and 1.17 mSv/Gy at 50 cm from the beam isocenter in the longitudinal (0°) and perpendicular (90°) directions, respectively. The neutron dose equivalent to the proton absorbed dose, measured from 10 cm to 100 cm from the isocenter, ranged from 0.071 mSv/Gy to 1.96 mSv/Gy in the direction of the beam line (i.e., φ = 0°). The largest neutron dose, of 3.88 mSv/Gy, was observed at 135° and 25 cm from the isocenter. Conclusions: Although the secondary neutron doses in proton therapy were higher when a scattering mode rather than a scanning mode was used, they did not exceed the scattered photon dose in typical photon treatments.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)260-265
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics
Volume74
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009 May 1
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by a research grant from the National Cancer Center, Korea (no. 0601230, 0810210).

Keywords

  • CR-39
  • Neutron dose
  • Proton
  • Secondary neutron

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiation
  • Oncology
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
  • Cancer Research

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