Mohamed S, El Amri N, Laabidi A, Besbes M
National Center of Radiation Protection-Tunisia, Tunisia; Nuclear Physics and High Energy Research Unit-Faculty of Sciences of Tunis-University Tunis Al Manar, Tunisia; Higher Institute of Medical Technologies of Tunis, Tunisia.
Higher Institute of Medical Technologies of Tunis, Tunisia; Institute Salah Azaiez-Radiotherapy Department, Tunisia.
Radiography (Lond). 2025 Jul;31(4):102984. doi: 10.1016/j.radi.2025.102984. Epub 2025 May 22.
The effectiveness of the Electron Monte Carlo Algorithm in ensuring accurate dose calculations in radiotherapy is still under investigation. While the Monte Carlo simulation has become a crucial tool for precise dosimetry in recent decades, its sufficiency when used alone is yet to be definitively established. This work aims to provide valuable insights into the relevance and reliability of the Electron Monte Carlo algorithm and the Monte Carlo simulation of electron beam in radiotherapy.
Through a comprehensive analysis, we seek to elucidate the algorithm's role, highlight its strengths and limitations, and evaluate its impact on the accuracy of dose distribution predictions. Percentage depth dose curves were derived for a reference field size across a range of electron beam energies: 6, 9, 12, 16, and 20 MeV in the water phantom. These curves were compared with others obtained from Monte Carlo Simulation. Gamma index was employed to ensure rigorous validation of dose distributions and supports the maintenance of high standards in radiotherapy quality assurance.
The results demonstrate a high degree of concordance between the empirical dose percentages and those predicted by computational models across all examined energy levels, achieving a success rate exceeding 93.5 % at the 3 % dose difference and 3 mm distance-to-agreement criteria.
The results suggest that using of the Electron Monte Carlo algorithm may lead to an underestimation of the dose in the region of electron equilibrium, while simulations using Geant4 code seems to provide more accurate results and is closer to the experimental data.
These results underscore the efficacy of Monte Carlo simulations in enhancing the precision of treatment planning and delivery, thereby advancing their application in clinical radiotherapy settings.
电子蒙特卡罗算法在确保放射治疗中准确剂量计算方面的有效性仍在研究中。虽然蒙特卡罗模拟在近几十年来已成为精确剂量测定的关键工具，但其单独使用时的充分性尚未得到明确证实。这项工作旨在深入了解电子蒙特卡罗算法以及放射治疗中电子束的蒙特卡罗模拟的相关性和可靠性。
通过全面分析，我们试图阐明该算法的作用，突出其优势和局限性，并评估其对剂量分布预测准确性的影响。在水模体中，针对一系列电子束能量（6、9、12、16和20兆电子伏）的参考射野尺寸得出百分深度剂量曲线。将这些曲线与从蒙特卡罗模拟获得的其他曲线进行比较。采用伽马指数来严格验证剂量分布，并支持在放射治疗质量保证中维持高标准。
结果表明，在所有检查的能量水平上，经验剂量百分比与计算模型预测的剂量百分比高度一致，在3%剂量差异和3毫米距离一致性标准下成功率超过93.5%。
结果表明，使用电子蒙特卡罗算法可能会导致电子平衡区域的剂量被低估，而使用Geant4代码进行的模拟似乎能提供更准确的结果，并且更接近实验数据。
这些结果强调了蒙特卡罗模拟在提高治疗计划和实施精度方面的功效，从而推动了其在临床放射治疗环境中的应用。
