Analysis of induced radiation and shielding materials in proton therapy room / 中国辐射卫生

Objective To analyze the dose distribution of induced radiation in fixed proton beam therapy room and the influence of shielding materials, and to provide a basis for radiation protection and shielding material selection in proton therapy. Methods FLUKA was used to simulate the dose distribution of induced radiation in fixed proton beam therapy room, the dose over time, and the influence of different concrete materials. Results The dose of induced radiation was mainly concentrated around the target, and the dose rapidly decreased to 1/5-1/10 of the value at the time of stopping irradiation after cooling for 3-5 min. The induced radiation in concrete formed a slightly higher dose area at the end of the main beam near the inner side of the shield. The content of Fe, O, and H in concrete had significant effects on induced radiation (P < 0.01), and the dose was negatively correlated with the content of Fe. Conclusion The patients after proton therapy as well as the induced radiation in air and shielding materials are the main sources of external radiation dose for workers, and waiting for a period of time is the most effective way to protect the staff. Without considering the difficulty in construction and based on the analysis of shielding materials in protection against external irradiation and their influence on induced radiation, heavy concrete with a relatively high level of Fe is the best choice of the shielding material for proton therapy room.

Analysis of radiation dose at the entrance of the medical linear accelerator treatment room / 中国辐射卫生

@#<b>Objective</b> To investigate the radiation dose at the entrance of the accelerator treatment room, and to guide the radiation protection detection at the entrance of the treatment room. <b>Methods</b> The FLUKA program was used to build the model of accelerator head and treatment room. Under the simulation conditions of 10 MV and 600 cGy/min for the accelerator, the radiation dose rate inside the entrance of the treatment room was measured at different gantry angles, irradiation conditions, and labyrinths. <b>Results</b> The entrance dose rate with a water tank was significantly higher than that without a water tank under different inner labyrinth wall thicknesses and gantry angles. The entrance dose rate reached the maximum at the inner labyrinth wall thickness of 1800 mm and the gantry angle of 90°. When the inner labyrinth wall thickness was 1000 mm and the gantry angles were 0° and 180°, the entrance dose rate was significantly higher than that at other conditions. The dose rate at the entrance of the treatment room reached (82.26 ± 48.95) μSv/h to (314.09 ± 96.34) μSv/h under the following conditions: the inner labyrinth wall thickness of 1800 mm, the gantry angle of 90°, with a water tank, and the width of the inner labyrinth entrance of 1400-2200 mm. <b>Conclusion</b> The dose at the entrance of the accelerator treatment room mainly comes from the scattering and leakage radiation of the useful wire harness on the patient’s body surface, and the entrance dose rate increases with the increase in the width of the inner labyrinth entrance. In the entrance protection test, the gantry angle should be determined considering the inner labyrinth wall thickness, and the test should be performed at four angles in the uncertain case to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of test results.

Shielding performance of six different types of concrete in proton therapy room / 中国辐射卫生

@#<b>Objective</b> To study the dose level of proton beams outside the main shield of the 230 MeV proton therapy room with six different types of concrete as the main wall, and to obtain the shielding performance of six different types of concrete. <b>Methods</b> The FLUKA program was used to build a calculation model, and different concrete compositions were introduced into the FLUKA program to simulate the change in ambient dose equivalent rate of the focus with concrete thickness under 230 MeV proton beam irradiation. The transmission curves of six different types of concrete were fitted to obtain shielding performance parameters. <b>Results</b> On the condition that the 230 MeV proton beam irradiated to the water target in 90° direction and the concrete thickness exceeded 40 cm, the proton beam was exponentially decayed for six different types of concrete, and the fitted decay curves had a <i>R</i>² of > 0.99. The linear attenuation coefficients for normal concrete, barite concrete, magnetite concrete, limonite concrete, phosphorite concrete, and ferrosilicate concrete were 0.0148 cm⁻¹, 0.0172 cm⁻¹, 0.0196 cm⁻¹, 0.0219 cm⁻¹, 0.0256 cm⁻¹, and 0.0290 cm⁻¹, respectively. <b>Conclusion</b> The composition and proportion of elements in concrete materials directly affect the shielding ability of concrete against proton beams to a large extent, and the shielding performance of six different types of concrete against proton beams varies greatly. Therefore, shielding materials for the proton therapy room should be selected by a comprehensive consideration of the material compositions and shielding performance of concrete, the difficulty of construction, and construction cost.