Radiotherapy using Geant4 Simulations
“Its palliation is a daily task, its cure a fervent hope.” -William Castle, describing leukemia in 1950.
Abstract
Radiation therapy is one of the the most widely used methods for cancer treatments after surgery and chemotherapy. High doses of radiations are used to kill cancer cells. In this study, depth dose for six prospective radiations has been plotted and analysed using Geant4 Simulation Toolkit, so we can compare and find the range of applications of each radiation by looking at their respective dose peaks. Studying depth dose plots for these different radiations in depth can lend us several insights into the nature of interaction and impact of these radiations in human body, and how we can make use of them in necessary real life medical treatments. Geant4 simulations offer us the freedom to modify several parameters and analyse their impact with such ease that would not have been possible in real life. By making use of this toolkit we can observe the depth dose behavior of different radiations and determine the exact range of energies for each radiation at which peaks are obtained. Finding the precise position and height of Bragg peak for proton beam through Geant4 simulations could make it easier to form the right Treatment Plan for Proton Therapy in order to be able to send radiations that hit at the precise tumor position with right energy, causing negligible harm to surrounding healthier tissue, thus attempting to make radiotherapy a safer and trustworthy option for cancer treatment.
