SRIM-based analysis of distribution features of Bragg peak of carbon ion radiotherapy / 中国辐射卫生

ABSTRACT

@#<b>Objective</b> To analyze the distribution features of the Bragg peak of carbon ion beams in materials using SRIM software, and to explore the use of computed tomography (CT) number to calculate the incident energy of carbon ion beams. <b>Methods</b> SRIM software was used to study the travel of carbon ion beams (100 to 300 MeV/u) in different equivalent materials, and analyze the effects of the incident energy of carbon ion beams and the type and thickness of equivalent materials on the depth of the Bragg peak of carbon ion beams. Origin 2017 was used to analyze the functional relationship between CT number and water-equivalent Bragg peak depth ratio (<i>Di</i>) through data fitting. <b>Results</b> The ratios of the Bragg peak depths in equivalent materials to that in water almost stayed constant with the increase in the incident energy of carbon ion beams. Through the functional relation between CT number and <i>D</i>_<i>i</i>, the Bragg peak depth of a carbon ion beam of a given energy in an equivalent material could be converted to the equivalent Bragg peak depth in water. <b>Conclusion</b> With the water-equivalent Bragg peak depth ratio <i>D</i>_<i>i</i> and CT number of different volume units of human tissues, the equivalent Bragg peak depth in water required for the Bragg peak to fall in the tumor can be accurately calculated, which can be used to reversely infer the needed incident energy of carbon ion beams.