Thermoluminescent and Monte Carlo dosimetry of a new 170Tm brachytherapy source

In this Study characteristics of a new 170Tm brachytherapy seed using thermoluminescent dosimeter and also the Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate between calculated and measured values was determined. Titanium tube contained Tm(NO3)3 powders bombardment at the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) for a period of 7 days at a flux of 2–3 × 1013 neutrons/cm2 s. To obtain the radial dose function, g(r), and the anisotropy function, F(r, θ), according to the AAPM TG-43U1 recommendations, 30 cm × 30 cm × 15 cm phantoms of Perspex slabs were used. Brachytherapy dose distributions were simulated with the MCNP5 Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport code. The MCPLIB04 photon cross-section library was applied using data from ENDF/B-VI. Cell-heating tally, F6 was employed to calculate absorbed dose in two separate runs for both beta and gamma particles. The calculated dose rate constant for the HDR source was found to be 1.113 ± 0.021 cGyU−1 h−1. Nominal uncertainty in the measured and calculated radial dose functions, g(r), for the IR-170Tm source in Perspex is tabulated is approximately 6% (ranging from 2% to 9%). The anisotropy function, F(r, θ), of the IR-170Tm source was measured at radial distances of r = 1.5, 2, 3, 5 cm relative to the seed center, and polar angles θ ranging from 0° to 330° in 30° increments.