Monte Carlo Techniques in Radiation Therapy (Imaging in Medical Diagnosis and Therapy)

Description

Modern cancer treatment relies on Monte Carlo simulations to help radiotherapists and clinical physicists better understand and compute radiation dose from imaging devices as well as exploit four-dimensional imaging data. With Monte Carlo-based treatment planning tools now available from commercial vendors, a complete transition to Monte Carlo-based dose calculation methods in radiotherapy could likely take place in the next decade. Monte Carlo Techniques in Radiation Therapy explores the use of Monte Carlo methods for modeling various features of internal and external radiation sources, including light ion beams.

The book—the first of its kind—addresses applications of the Monte Carlo particle transport simulation technique in radiation therapy, mainly focusing on external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. It presents the mathematical and technical aspects of the methods in particle transport simulations. The book also discusses the modeling of medical linacs and other irradiation devices; issues specific to electron, photon, and proton ion beams and brachytherapy; and the optimization of treatment planning, radiation dosimetry, and quality assurance.

Useful to clinical physicists, graduate students, and researchers, this book provides a detailed, state-of-the-art guide to the fundamentals, application, and customization of Monte Carlo techniques in radiotherapy. Through real-world examples, it illustrates the use of Monte Carlo modeling and simulations in dose calculation, beam delivery, kilovoltage and megavoltage imaging, proton radiography, device design, and much more.

Contents

Monte Carlo Fundamentals
History of Monte Carlo

Alex F. Bielajew
Basics of Monte Carlo Simulations

Matthias Fippel
Variance Reduction Techniques

Matthias Fippel
Application of Monte Carlo Techniques in Radiation Therapy
Applications of Monte Carlo to Radiation Dosimetry

Hugo Bouchard and Jan Seuntjens
Monte Carlo Modeling of External Photon Beams in Radiotherapy

Frank Verhaegen
Monte Carlo Modeling of External Electron Beams in Radiotherapy

Frank Verhaegen
Dynamic Beam Delivery and 4D Monte Carlo

Emily Heath and Joao Seco
Patient Dose Calculation

Joao Seco and Maggy Fragoso
Monte Carlo Methods and Applications for Brachytherapy Dosimetry and Treatment Planning

Guillaume Landry, Mark R. Rivard, Jeffrey F. Williamson, and Frank Verhaegen
Monte Carlo as a QA Tool for Advanced Radiation Therapy

JinSheng Li and C.-M. Charlie Ma
Electrons: Clinical Considerations and Applications

Joanna E. Cygler and George X. Ding
Photons: Clinical Considerations and Applications

Michael K. Fix
Monte Carlo Calculations for Proton and Ion Beam Dosimetry

Hugo Palmans
Protons: Clinical Considerations and Applications

Harald Paganetti
Application of Monte Carlo Methods to Radionuclide Therapy

Michael Ljungberg
Monte Carlo for Kilovoltage and Megavoltage Imaging

George X. Ding and Andrew Fielding
Monte Carlo Calculations for PET-Based Treatment Verification of Ion Beam Therapy

Katia Parodi
Monte Carlo Studies of Prompt Gamma Emission and of Proton Radiography/Proton-CT

Joao Seco, Jerimy C. Polf, and Katia Parodi
Monte Carlo for Treatment Device Design

Bruce A. Faddegon
GPU-Based Fast Monte Carlo Simulation for Radiotherapy Dose Calculation

Xun Jia, Sami Hissoiny, and Steve B. Jiang
Monte Carlo for Shielding of Radiotherapy Facilities

Peter J. Biggs and Stephen F. Kry
Index