| 1. |
- Akkurt, I, et al.
(författare)
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Photoneutron yields from tungsten in the energy range of the giant dipole resonance
- 2003
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 48:20, s. 3345-3352
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photoneutron production on the nuclei of high-Z components of medical accelerator heads can lead to a significant secondary dose during a course of bremsstrahlung radiotherapy, However, a quantitative evaluation of secondary neutron dose requires improved data on the photoreaction yields. These have been measured as a function of photon energy, neutron energy and neutron angle for W-nat, using tagged photons at the MAX-Lab photonuclear facility in Sweden. This work presents neutron yields for W-nat(gamma, n) and compares these with the predictions of the Monte Carlo code MCNP-GN, developed specifically to simulate photoneutron production at medical accelerators.
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| 2. |
- Arlig, A, et al.
(författare)
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Attenuation correction in quantitative SPECT of cerebral blood flow: a Monte Carlo study
- 2000
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 45:12, s. 3847-3859
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Monte Carlo simulation has been used to produce projections from a voxel-based brain phantom, simulating a 99mTc-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) brain investigation. For comparison, projections free from the effects of attenuation and scattering were also simulated, giving ideal transaxial images after reconstruction. Three methods of attenuation correction were studied: (a) a pre-processing method, (b) a post-processing uniform method and (c) a post-processing non-uniform method using a density map. The accuracy of these methods was estimated by comparison of the reconstructed images with the ideal images using the normalized mean square error, NMSE, and quantitative values of the regional cerebral blood flow, rCBF. A minimum NMSE was achieved for the effective linear attenuation coefficient mu(eff) = 0.07 (0.09) cm(-1) for the uniform(pre) method, the effective mass attenuation coefficient mu(eff)/rho = 0.08 (0.10) cm2 g(-1) for the uniform(post) method and mu(eff)/rho = 0.12 (0.13) cm2 g(-1) for the non-uniform(post) method. Values in parentheses represent the case of dual-window scatter correction. The non-uniform(post) method performed better, as measured by the NMSE, both with and without scatter correction. Furthermore, the non-uniform(post) method gave, on average, more accurate rCBF values. Although the difference in rCBF accuracy was small between the various methods, the same method should be used for patient studies as for the reference material.
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| 3. |
- Aznar, MC, et al.
(författare)
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Real-time optical-fibre luminescence dosimetry for radiotherapy: physical characteristics and applications in photon beams
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 49:9, s. 1655-1669
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A new optical-fibre radiation dosimeter system, based on radioluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence from carbon-doped aluminium oxide, was developed and tested in clinical photon beams. This prototype offers several features, such as a small detector (1 x 1 x 2 mm), high sensitivity, real-time read-out and the ability to measure both dose rate and absorbed dose. The measurements describing reproducibility and output dependence on dose rate, field size and energy all had standard deviations smaller than 1%. The signal variation with the angle of incidence was smaller than 2% (1 SD). Measurements performed in clinical situations suggest the potential of using this real-time system for in vivo dosimetry in radiotherapy.
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| 4. |
- Baldoc, C, et al.
(författare)
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Dose resolution in radiotherapy polymer gel dosimetry: effect of echo spacing in MRI pulse sequence
- 2001
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 46:2, s. 449-460
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In polymer gel dosimetry using magnetic resonance imaging, the uncertainty in absorbed dose is dependent on the experimental determination of T2. The concept of dose resolution (Dpdelta) of polymer gel dosimeters is developed and applied to the uncertainty in dose related to the uncertainty in T2 from a range of T4 encountered in polymer gel dosimetry. Dpdelta is defined as the minimal separation between two absorbed doses such that they may be distinguished with a given level of confidence, p. The minimum detectable dose (MDD) is Dpdelta as the dose approaches zero. Dpdelta and the minimum detectable dose both give a quantifiable indication of the likely practical limitations and usefulness of the dosimeter. Dpdelta of a polyacrylamide polymer gel dosimeter is presented for customized 32-echo and standard multiple-spin-echo sequences on a clinical MRI scanner. In evaluating uncertainties in T2, a parameter of particular significance in the pulse sequence is the echo spacing (ES). For optimal results, ES should be selected to minimize Dpdelta over a range of doses of interest in polymer gel dosimetry.
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| 5. |
- Björk, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Dosimetry characteristics of degraded electron beams investigated by Monte Carlo calculations in a setup for intraoperative radiation therapy.
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 47:2, s. 239-256
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Degraded electron beams, as used for intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) or similar complicated dosimetric situations, have different characteristics compared to conventional electron therapy beams. If international dosimetry protocols are applied in a direct manner to such degraded beams, uncertainties will be introduced in the absorbed dose determination. The Monte Carlo method has been used to verify experimentally determined relative absorbed dose distributions and output factors in an IORT geometry. Monte Carlo generated dose distributions are mostly within +/-2% or +/-2 mm of measured data. The simulated output variation between the IORT cones (relative output factors) are mostly within 2% of measured values. By comparing IORT and conventional electron beam characteristics (e.g. energy spectra, angular distributions and the contributions of different system components to these quantities) limitations and uncertainties of commonly used dosimetric techniques in IORT electron fields are quantified. The intraoperative treatment field contains a larger amount of scattered electrons, which leads to a broader energy spectrum as well as a wider angular distribution of electrons at the phantom surface. The dose from the scattered electrons can contribute up to 40% of the total dose at a depth of dose maximum, compared to approximately 10% for standard beams. A study of the energy spectra at the reference depth reveals that an uncertainty of the order of 1% can be introduced if ionization chamber based dosimetry is used to determine output factors for the investigated IORT system. We recommend that relative absorbed dose distributions and output factors in IORT electron beams and for similar complicated dosimetric situations should be determined with detectors having a small energy and angular dependence (e.g. diamond detectors or p-Si diodes).
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Gustafsson, Agnetha, 1960-, et al.
(författare)
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Dual-window scatter correction and energy window setting in cerebral blood flow SPECT: a Monte Carlo study
- 2000
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 45:11, s. 3431-3440
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The image quality in SPECT studies of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) performed with 99mTc-HMPAO is degraded by scattered photons. The finite energy resolution of the gamma camera makes the detection of scattered photons unavoidable, and this is observed in the image as an impaired contrast between grey and white matter structures. In this work, a Monte Carlo simulated SPECT study of a realistic voxel-based brain phantom was used to evaluate the resulting contrast-to-noise ratio for a number of energy window settings, with and without the dual-window scatter correction. Values of the scaling factor k, used to obtain the fraction of scattered photons in the photopeak window, were estimated for each energy window. The use of a narrower, asymmetric, energy discrimination window improved the contrast, with a subsequent increase in statistical noise due to the lower number of counts. The photopeak-window setting giving the best contrast-to-noise ratio was found to be the same whether or not scatter correction was applied. Its value was 17% centred at 142 keV. At the optimum photopeak-window setting, the contrast was improved by using scatter correction, but the contrast-to-noise ratio was made worse.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
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| 11. |
- Hill, Brendan, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation and analysis of ferrous sulfate polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel dosimeter
- 2002
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 47:23, s. 4233-4246
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ferrous sulfate (Fe(SO4)2) PVA gels were investigated for a range of absorbed doses up to 20 Gy using both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectrophotometry to determine R1 and optical density (OD) dose responses and G values. It was found that R1- and OD-dose sensitivities increased with O2 saturation or by the introduction of a freeze-thaw cycle during preparation of the PVA gel. The storage temperature of the Fe(SO4)2 PVA gel at -18 degrees C increased R1-dose sensitivity above that of gels stored at 5 degrees C. The addition of sucrose to the formulation was found to result in the largest increase in both R1- and OD-dose sensitivities. Fe(SO4)2 PVA gel with and without the addition of xylenol orange was demonstrated to have a G value of approximately 20 ions/100 eV and with sucrose approximately 24 ions/100 eV.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Johnsson, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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On beam quality and stopping power ratios for high-energy x-rays
- 2000
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 45:10, s. 2733-2745
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this work is to quantitatively compare two commonly used beam quality indices, IPR(20/10) and %dd(10)x, with respect to their ability to predict stopping power ratios (water to air), s(w,air), for high-energy x-rays. In particular, effects due to a varied amount of filtration of the photon beam will be studied. A new method for characterizing beam quality is also presented, where the information we strive to obtain is the moments of the spectral distribution. We will show how the moments enter into a general description of the transmission curve and that it is possible to correlate the moments to s(w,air) with a unique and simple relationship. Comparisons with TPR(20/10) and %dd(10), show that the moments are well suited for beam quality specification in terms of choosing the correct s(w,air).
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| 14. |
- Lepag, M, et al.
(författare)
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Dose resolution optimization of polymer gel dosimeters using different monomers
- 2001
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 46:10, s. 2665-2680
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polymer gel dosimeters of different formulations were manufactured from different monomers of acrylamide, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate. Gelatin and agarose were used as the gelling agents and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide was used as a co-monomer in each polymer gel dosimeter. The T2 dependence of each dosimeter was analysed using a model of fast exchange of magnetization. The influence of the half-dose and the apparent T2 of the polymer-proton pool on the dose resolution (Dpdelta) were examined. Comparisons are made with the commonly employed R2-dose sensitivity. Differences exist suggesting that experiments reported in the literature using what were thought to be more optimal dosimeters may not actually be so. Based on Dpdelta of each formulation, conclusions are drawn on the optimal formulation required for a specific range of absorbed doses. In addition, information about the extent of polymerization of the monomers used along with some characteristics of the polymer network formed are reported. The influence of the concentration of monomers and gelling agent was subsequently evaluated using a model of fast exchange of magnetization. Based on these calculations, further improvement in Dpdelta can be expected.
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| 15. |
- Lepage, M, et al.
(författare)
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Modelling of post-irradiation events in polymer gel dosimeters
- 2001
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 46:11, s. 2827-2839
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spin-spin relaxation time (T2) is related to the radiation-dependent concentration of polymer formed in polymer gel dosimeters manufactured from monomers in an aqueous gelatin matrix. Changes in T2 with time post-irradiation have been reported in the literature but their nature is not fully understood. We investigated those changes with time after irradiation using FT-Raman spectroscopy and the precise determination of T2 at high magnetic field in a polymer gel dosimeter. A model of fast exchange of magnetization taking into account ongoing gelation and strengthening of the gelatin matrix as well as the polymerization of the monomers with time is presented. Published data on the changes of T2 in gelatin gels as a function of post-manufacture time are used and fitted closely by the model presented. The same set of parameters characterizing the variations of T2 in gelatin gels and the increasing concentration of polymer determined from FT-Raman spectroscopy are used successfully in the modelling of irradiated polymer gel dosimeters. Minimal variations in T2 in an irradiated PAG dosimeter are observed after 13 h.
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| 16. |
- Lepage, M, et al.
(författare)
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The relationship between radiation-induced chemical processes and transverse relaxation times in polymer gel dosimeters
- 2001
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 46:4, s. 1061-1074
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effects of ionizing radiation in different compositions of polymer gel dosimeters are investigated using FT-Raman spectroscopy and NMR T2 relaxation times. The dosimeters are manufactured from different concentrations of comonomers (acrylamide and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide) dispersed in different concentrations of an aqueous gelatin matrix. Results are analysed using a model of fast exchange of magnetization between three proton pools. The fraction of protons in each pool is determined using the known chemical composition of the dosimeter and FT-Raman spectroscopy. Based on these results, the physical and chemical processes in interplay in the dosimeters are examined in view of their effect on the changes in T2. The precipitation of growing macroradicals and the scavenging of free radicals by gelatin are used to explain the rate of polymerization. The model describes the changes in T2 as a function of the absorbed dose up to 50 Gy for the different compositions. This is expected to aid the theoretical design of new, more efficient dosimeters, since it was demonstrated that the optimum dosimeter (i.e, with the lowest dose resolution) must have a range of relaxation times which match the range of T2 values which can be determined with the lowest uncertainty using an MRI scanner.
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| 17. |
- Trapp, J V, et al.
(författare)
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An experimental study of the dose response of polymer gel dosimeters imaged with x-ray computed tomography
- 2001
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 46:11, s. 2939-2951
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Changes in the linear attenuation coefficient of polymer gel dosimeters post-irradiation enable the imaging of dose distributions by x-ray computed tomography (CT). Various compositions of polymer gel dosimeters manufactured from acrylamide (AA), and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide (BIS) comonomers and gelatin or agarose gelling agents were investigated. This work shows that increasing the comonomer concentration increases the CT-dose sensitivity of the polymer gel dosimeter. This can be further increased by replacing gelatin with agarose. Varying the gelatin concentration however does not significantly change the CT-dose sensitivity. Among the compositions studied, dose resolution (D(delta)95%) was found to be optimal for polymer gel dosimeters comprising 5% gelatin, 3% AA, 3% BIS and 89% water.
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| 18. |
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| 19. |
- Zanini, A, et al.
(författare)
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Monte Carlo simulation of the photoneutron field in linac radiotherapy treatments with different collimation systems
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 1361-6560 .- 0031-9155. ; 49:4, s. 571-582
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bremsstrahlung photon beams produced by linac accelerators are currently the most commonly used method of radiotherapy for tumour treatments. When the photon energy exceeds 10 MeV the patient receives an undesired dose due to photoneutron production in the accelerator head. In the last few decades, new sophisticated techniques such as multileaf collimators have been used for a better definition of the target volume. In this case it is crucial to evaluate the photoneutron dose produced after giant dipole resonance (GDR) excitation of the high Z materials (mainly tungsten and lead) constituting the collimator leaves in view of the optimization of the radiotherapy treatment. A Monte Carlo approach has been used to calculate,the photoneutron dose arising from the GDR reaction during radiotherapy with energetic photon beams. The simulation has been performed using the code MCNP4B-GN which is based on MCNP4B, but includes a new routine GAMMAN to model photoneutron production. Results for the facility at IRCC (Istituto per la Ricerca e la Cura del Cancro) Candiolo (Turin), which is based on 18 MV x-rays from a Varian Clinac 2300 C/D, are presented for a variety of different collimator configurations.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
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| 22. |
- Bergenwall, B., et al.
(författare)
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Experimental kerma coefficients for carbon deduced from microscopic cross sections at 96 MeV incident neutron energy
- 2004
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 49:19, s. 4523-4542
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The double-differential cross sections for (n, px), (n, dx), (n, tx), (n, (3)Hex) and (n, alphax) reactions in carbon have been measured at 96 MeV incident neutron energy. The various charged particles (inclusive spectra) were identified using A E-E techniques. From the experimental data, energy- and angle-differential as well as production cross sections were determined, and subsequently the partial and total kerma coefficients. The deduced partial and total kerma coefficients were compared to previous experimental results and theoretical calculations. The findings indicate that the deduced kerma coefficients for the hydrogen isotopes are in good agreement with those deduced from a previous measurement, and that the kerma coefficient values, in particular of the hydrogen isotopes, are systematically higher than values obtained from recent model calculations, which consequently resulted in a total kerma coefficient which is up to 30% higher than predicted by the calculations.
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Daşu, Alexandru, et al.
(författare)
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Should single or distributed parameters be used to explain the steepness of tumour control probability curves?
- 2003
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 48:3, s. 387-397
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Linear quadratic (LQ) modelling allows easy comparison of different fractionation schedules in radiotherapy. However, estimating the radiation effect of a single fractionated treatment introduces many questions with respect to the parameters to be used in the modelling process. Several studies have used tumour control probability (TCP) curves in order to derive the values for the LQ parameters that may be used further for the analysis and ranking of treatment plans. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to the biological relevance of these derived parameters, either for the initial number of cells or their intrinsic radiosensitivity, or both. This paper investigates the relationship between single values for the TCP parameters and the resulting dose-response curve. The results of this modelling study show how clinical observations for the position and steepness of the TCP curve can be explained only by the choice of extreme values for the parameters, if they are single values. These extreme values are in contradiction with experimental observations. This contradiction suggests that single values for the parameters are not likely to explain reasonably the clinical observations and that some distributions of input parameters should be taken into consideration.
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| 25. |
- Daşu, Alexandru, et al.
(författare)
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Theoretical simulation of tumour oxygenation and results from acute and chronic hypoxia
- 2003
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Ingår i: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 48:17, s. 2829-2842
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The tumour microenvironment is considered to be responsible for the outcome of cancer treatment and therefore it is extremely important to characterize and quantify it. Unfortunately, most of the experimental techniques available now are invasive and generally it is not known how this influences the results. Non-invasive methods on the other hand have a geometrical resolution that is not always suited for the modelling of the tumour response. Theoretical simulation of the microenvironment may be an alternative method that can provide quantitative data for accurately describing tumour tissues. This paper presents a computerized model that allows the simulation of the tumour oxygenation. The model simulates numerically the fundamental physical processes of oxygen diffusion and consumption in a two-dimensional geometry in order to study the influence of the different parameters describing the tissue geometry. The paper also presents a novel method to simulate the effects of diffusion-limited (chronic) hypoxia and perfusion-limited (acute) hypoxia. The results show that all the parameters describing tissue vasculature are important for describing tissue oxygenation. Assuming that vascular structure is described by a distribution of inter-vessel distances, both the average and the width of the distribution are needed in order to fully characterize the tissue oxygenation. Incomplete data, such as distributions measured in a non-representative region of the tissue, may not give relevant tissue oxygenation. Theoretical modelling of tumour oxygenation also allows the separation between acutely and chronically hypoxic cells, a distinction that cannot always be seen with other methods. It was observed that the fraction of acutely hypoxic cells depends not only on the fraction of collapsed blood vessels at any particular moment, but also on the distribution of vessels in space as well. All these suggest that theoretical modelling of tissue oxygenation starting from the basic principles is a robust method that can be used to quantify the tissue oxygenation and to provide input parameters for other simulations.
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