Monte Carlo modeling of multileaf collimators using the code Geant4

Abstract

Radiotherapy uses various techniques and equipment for local treatment of cancer. The equipment most often used in radiotherapy to the patient irradiation is linear accelerator (Linac). Among the many algorithms developed for evaluation of dose distributions in radiotherapy planning, the algorithms based on Monte Carlo (MC) methods have proven to be very promising in terms of accuracy by providing more realistic results. The MC simulations for applications in radiotherapy are divided into two parts. In the first, the simulation of the production of the radiation beam by the Linac is performed and then the phase-space is generated. In the second part the simulation of the transport of particles (sampled phase-space) in certain configurations of irradiation field is performed to assess the dose distribution. Accurate modeling of the Linac head is of particular interest in the calculation of dose distributions for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), where complex intensity distributions are delivered using a multileaf collimator (MLC). The objective of this work is to describe a methodology for modeling MC of MLCs using code Geant4. To exemplify this methodology, the Varian Millennium 120-leaf MLC was modeled. The dosimetric characteristics (i.e., penumbra, leakage, and tongue-and-groove effect) of this MLC were evaluated. The results agreed with data published in the literature concerning the same MLC.

Keywords

• Radiotherapy
• Monte Carlo Methods
• Multileaf Collimator