We have located links that may give you full text access.
Neutron dose in and out of 18MV photon fields.
Applied Radiation and Isotopes 2017 April
In radiation therapy, neutron contamination is an undesirable side effect of using high energy photons to treat patients. Neutron contamination requires adjustments to the shielding requirements of the linear accelerator vault and contributes to the risk of secondary malignancies in patients by delivering dose outside of the primary treatment field. Using MCNPX, an established Monte Carlo code, manufacturer blueprints, and the most up to date ICRP neutron dose conversion factors, the neutron spectra, neutron/photon dose ratio, and the neutron capture gamma ray dose were calculated at different depths and off axis distances in a tissue equivalent phantom. Results demonstrated that the neutron spectra and dose are dependent on field size, depth in the phantom, and off-axis distance. Simulations showed that because of the low neutron absorption cross section of the linear accelerator head materials, the contribution to overall patient dose from neutrons can be up to 1000 times the photon dose out of the treatment field and is also dependent on field size and depth. Beyond 45cm off-axis, the dependence of the neutron dose on field size is minimal. Neutron capture gamma ray dose is also field size dependent and is at a maximum at a depth of about 7cm. It is important to remember that when treating with high energy photons, the dose from contamination neutrons must be considered as it is much greater than the photon dose.
Full text links
Related Resources
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app