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Sensitivity of a bone-equivalent polymer gel dosimeter for measuring the dose to bone during radiation therapy

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Abstract

Treatment planning systems that use the Monte Carlo algorithm can calculate the dose to the medium (Dm) in non-water-equivalent tissues such as bones. However, Dm cannot be verified using actual measurements; therefore, it is necessary to develop tissue-equivalent dosimeters. In this study, we developed a bone-equivalent polymer gel dosimeter (BPGD) that can measure the dose absorbed by the bone and investigated its sensitivity. The BPGDs were prepared by adding 3.0 mol of calcium hydrogen phosphate dihydrate as a component of bone to an improved dose-sensitive polyacrylamide gelatin and tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride (iPAGAT). One day after preparation, the BPGDs were irradiated with a field size of 15 × 15 cm2 using a 10 MV X-ray beam to evaluate the dose sensitivity, dose-rate dependence, and dose-integration dependence. One day after dose exposure, the BPGDs were scanned using a 0.4 T MRI APERTO Eterna (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) to obtain R2 values. The difference between the R2 values of 6 Gy and 0 Gy was up to 5 s−1, and the R2 curve plateaued in the high-dose region. Moreover, the BPGD did not depend on the integration of the dose and dose rates. Therefore, the BPGDs that we developed can determine the radiation dose to bones.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Editage (www.editage.com) for the English language editing.

Funding

This study was funded by the Shibuya Science Culture and Sports Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiological Technology, Kanazawa University Hospital, Kanazawa, Japan

    Narumi Kumahara, Kimiya Noto, Hironori Kojima, Naoki Isomura & Haruna Yokoyama

  2. Faculty of Health Sciences, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

    Akihiro Takemura

  3. Department of Clinical Examination, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, Japan

    Shouta Ishihara

  4. Divisions of Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan

    Itsuki Goto

Authors
  1. Narumi Kumahara
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  2. Akihiro Takemura
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  3. Shouta Ishihara
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  4. Kimiya Noto
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  5. Hironori Kojima
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  6. Naoki Isomura
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  7. Haruna Yokoyama
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  8. Itsuki Goto
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Correspondence to Narumi Kumahara.

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All authors have nothing to declare. The author Kimiya Noto is a councilor of the JSRT and has received no compensation. The author Hironori Kojima is a representative of the JSMP and has received no compensation.

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Kumahara, N., Takemura, A., Ishihara, S. et al. Sensitivity of a bone-equivalent polymer gel dosimeter for measuring the dose to bone during radiation therapy. Radiol Phys Technol 16, 227–234 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-023-00710-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-023-00710-9

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