Comparison of adjoint and forward Monte Carlo based treatment planning for a realistic head phantom

Abstract

BNCT treatment planning can be improved by having the adjoint technique available in the Monte Carlo transport code. In adjoint MC, the simulated particles travel backwards instead of ‘forward’. By speeding up the calculations, more beam positions can be investigated and thus a better plan can be composed. In a realistic head phantom with 10 disseminated lesions in the brain, the adjoint method is more favourable than the forward calculations whenever larger beam diameters are applied.