Dose Assessment of Eye and Its Components in Proton Therapy by Monte Carlo Method

Abstract

Introduction Proton therapy is used to treat malignant tumors such as melanoma inside the eye. Proton particles are adjusted according to various parameters such as tumor size and position and patient’s distance from the proton source. The purpose of this study was to assess absorbed doses in eyes and various tumors found in the area of sclera and choroid and the adjacent tissues in radiotherapy while changing most important proton therapy parameters such as moderators thickness (1.5-1.9 cm), exposure radius (0.5-0.8 cm), and proton energy beam (53.5-65 MeV). Materials and Methods A proton therapy system of Laboratori Nazionali del Sud-INFNwas simulated by Monte Carlo method. Moreover, the eye and its components were simulated using concentric spheres. To obtain a more accurate results, real density of eye components such as cornea and lens, were applied for simulation. Then, the absorbed dose of eye and eye tumor, in choroid and sclera areas, were calculated by Monte Carlo method. Results The absorbed dose in tumoral region of eye was calculated to be about 12.5 ±0.006Gy in one day with energy 62 MeV for a therapy session, which is suitable for treatment. However, normal eye cells received at most 11.01 Gy which is high. Conclusion The amount of absorbed dose in tumoral cells is noticeable. Therefore, accurate treatment planning, patient immobility and fine calibration of proton-therapy system and its simulator are very important to reduce the absorbed dose of healthy cells.