Monte Carlo simulations of dose deposition applied to clinical radiation therapy

The application of Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport to the various radiation procedures involved in the treatment of cancer patients with photons and electrons is reviewed. The most important steps in the chain of events from dosimeter calibration to treatment plan calculations to dose verification are assessed with respect to their accuracy and precision impact in radiation therapy. Monte Carlo simulations have been applied to every step of this chain and offer significant gains in accuracy and understanding to the basic physical processes. Some medical-electron-accelerator Monte Carlo codes derive from general codes, while others have been specifically designed to accelerate computation speed for treatment planning purposes. Several thousand articles on the subject have already been published and, with advances in PC computing power, the future of Monte Carlo simulations is guaranteed.