Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2017. Vol. 62. No.  1. P. 49-55

DOI: 10.12737/25059

To Improve Accuracy of Radionuclide Therapy Dosimetry Planning Using Monte Carlo Method

Yu.V. Lysak¹, M.O. Goncharov², B.Ya. Narkevich^2,3, S.V. Shiryaev²

1. National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Moscow, Russia; 2. N.N. Blokhin Cancer Research Center, Moscow, Russia; 3. Institute of Medical Physics and Engineering, Moscow, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Yu.V. Lysak - Post-graduate student MEPhI; M.O. Goncharov - Radiologist in Nuclear Medicine Laboratory of N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center; B.Ya. Narkevich - Leading Researcher in Nuclear Medicine Laboratory of N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, D. Sc. Tech., Prof.; S.V. Shiryaev - Head of Nuclear Medicine Laboratory of N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center, D. Sc. Med., Prof.

Abstract

Purpose: Development and clinical testing of methodology dosimetry planning of radionuclide therapy based on Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transfer process.

Material and methods: The method of determination in absolute units of radiopharmaceutical (RP) activity accumulated in tumor lesions. The technique is based on scintigraphy syringe containing diagnostic RP activity, biplane patient scintigraphy after injection of the RP and determination of the RP accumulation when administered calculated using the Monte Carlo method for the absorption and scattering of radiation in the patient’s body and in the collimator of the gamma camera. Code MCNP Monte Carlo simulation was used. The layout of determination of the value of accumulated RP activity in the patient’s tumor site implies successive implementation of the following three steps.

1. Scintigraphic images are obtained of the vial containing already known activity of the RP placed at the fixed source-to-collimator distance, following which estimation of the detector count rate within the specified region of interest of the vial image is undertaken.
2. Therapeutic activity A₀ is introduced in the patient’s body, scintigraphic examination of the patient is performed. Estimation of the detector count rate in the region where the tumor is located and the value of tissue background in the close enough vicinity to the tumor is performed using the tools for contouring the region of interest on the obtained planar image provided using the software imbedded in the scintigraphic equipment.
3. Value of accumulated activity RP in the affected tumor is determined according to the correction factor which is calculated using Monte-Carlo method for specific clinical case for the geometry used in obtaining scintigraphic images which is identical to the conditions of measurement of activity in the vial and in the patient’s body.

The technique has been tested in the study, with an injection of 30 MBq of ¹²³I-MIBG child with neuroblastoma.

Results: The level of accumulation of radiopharmaceutical in the tumor of the adrenal gland was 0.78 MBq, i.e. 2.6 % of the administered activity. This corresponds to literature data (average about 2.4 %) for scintigraphic studies of children with neuroblastomas. When using the known calculation method for analytical formula without the introduction of corrections for the absorption and scattering of radiation was obtained a result of 1.02 MBq, i.e. overestimation was 31 %.

Conclusions: Introduction calculated by the Monte Carlo method for the absorption and scattering of radiation during scintigraphy patient can improve the accuracy of dosimetry planning of radionuclide therapy.

Key words: radionuclide therapy, dosimetry planning, tumor foci, radiopharmaceutical accumulation, activity determination, Monte-Carlo method

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For citation: Lysak YuV, Goncharov MO, Narkevich BYa, Shiryaev SV. To Improve Accuracy of Radionuclide Therapy Dosimetry Planning Using Monte Carlo Method. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2017;62(1):49-55. Russian. DOI: 10.12737/25059

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