Automation of the Monte Carlo simulation of medical linear accelerators

236 Pages·2015·12.25 MB·English

doctoral dissertation
AUTOMATION OF THE MONTE CARLO SIMULATION OF
MEDICAL LINEAR ACCELERATORS
miguel lázaro rodríguez castillo
Institut de Tec`niques Energètiques
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
20th 2015
Barcelona - November ,
Co-supervisors:
Priv.-Doz. Dr. Lorenzo Brualla
Klinik- und Poliklinik für Strahlentherapie
Universitätsklinikum Essen
Universität Duisburg-Essen
Dr. Josep Sempau
Institut de Tec`niques Energètiques
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
Para mis padres, mi esposa y mis hijos

The enjoyment of one’s tools is an essential ingredient of successful work
— Donald E. Knuth
PUBLICATIONS
Publications in scientific journals related to this thesis:
• M. Rodriguez, J. Sempau, A. Fogliata, L. Cozzi, W. Sauerwein,
and L. Brualla. A geometrical model for the Monte Carlo simu-
lation of the TrueBeam linac. Phys. Med. Biol., 60:N219–N229,
2015
.
• M. Rodriguez, J. Sempau, and L. Brualla. Study of the electron
penelope
transport parameters used in for the Monte Carlo
simulation of linac targets. Med. Phys., 42:2877–2881, 2015.
• M. F. Belosi, M. Rodriguez, A. Fogliata, L. Cozzi, J. Sempau,
A.Clivio,G.Nicolini,E.Vanetti,H.Krauss,C.Khamphan,P.Fe-
noglietto,J.Puxeu,D.Fedele,P.Mancosu,andL.Brualla.Monte
Carlo simulation of TrueBeam flattening-filter-free beams using
Varian phase-space files: Comparison with experimental data.
Med. Phys., 41:051707, 2014.
• M. Rodriguez, J. Sempau, and L. Brualla. PRIMO: A graphi-
cal environment for the Monte Carlo simulation of Varian and
Elekta linacs. Strahlenther. Onkol., 189:881–886, 2013.
• M.Rodriguez,J.Sempau,andL.Brualla.Acombinedapproach
of variance-reduction techniques for the efficient Monte Carlo
simulation of linacs. Phys. Med. Biol., 57:3013–3024, 2012.
Additional publication in a scientific journal related to this thesis:
• M. Rodriguez. PENLINAC: extending the capabilities of the
penelope
Monte Carlo code for the simulation of therapeutic
beams. Phys. Med. Biol., 53:4573–4593, 2008.
Published technical reports:
• L.Brualla,M.Rodriguez,andJ.Sempau.PRIMOUser’sManual.
2015
http://www.primoproject.net, .
• L. Brualla, M. Rodriguez, and J. Sempau. PRIMO Quick Start
Guide. http://www.primoproject.net, 2014.
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Manuscript submitted to a scientific journal:
• L.Brualla,M.Rodriguez,andA.Lallena.ReviewArticle.Monte
Carlosystemsusedfortreatmentplanninganddoseverification
of linac external beam radiotherapy. Submitted to Med. Phys..
Manuscript in preparation to be submitted to a scientific journal:
• M. Rodriguez, L. Brualla, and J. Sempau. Optimization of the
efficiencyinMonteCarlosimulationsoflinacsthatemploymul-
tiple variance-reduction techniques.
Presentations in scientific congresses:
• L. Brualla, M. Rodriguez, and J. Sempau. PRIMO: A graphical
user-friendly environment for the automatic Monte Carlo simulation
oflinacsanddosedistributionsinpatients.AwardedwiththePoster
Prize during the annual Congress of the Deutsche Gesellschaft
für Radioonkologie (German Society for Radiation Oncology,
DEGRO). 2012. Published in Strahlenther. Onkol., 188:151, 2012.
• L. Brualla, J. Sempau, and M. Rodriguez. Towards bridging the
gap between Monte Carlo and the clinical environment: Variance-
reduction techniques for linac simulation with penelope / PRIMO.
Poster presentation in the Congress of the European Society
31
forRadiotherapyandOncology.ESTROCongress .Barcelona.
May, 2012. Published in Radiother. Oncol., 103:S313, 2012.
• L. Brualla, M. Rodriguez, and J. Sempau. PRIMO: A graphical
environment for the automatic simulation of Varian and Elekta linacs
with penelope. Oral presentation in the Congress of the Euro-
pean Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology. ESTRO Congress
31.Barcelona.May,2012.PublishedinRadiother.Oncol.,103:S246,
2012
.
• L. Brualla, M. Rodriguez, L. Cozzi, A. Fogliata, W. Sauerwein,
and J. Sempau. AnungenuinecompletedescriptionoftheTrueBeam
linacforMonteCarlosimulation.ElectronicPosterpresentationin
33 4 9 2014
the ESTRO Congress . Vienna. April - , . Published in
Radiother. Oncol., 111:S12–S13, 2014.
• M.Rodriguez,L.Brualla,andJ.Sempau.PRIMO.Agraphicalen-
vironmentfortheMonteCarlosimulationofVarianandElektalinacs.
Pre-congress course in the XV Workshop on Nuclear Physics
and IX International Symposium on Nuclear and Related Tech-
9 2015
niques. Havana. February , .
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is a fortunate and joyful occasion when supervisors and student
work as a united team. Degrees aside, they all row—sometimes sail—
to one goal. I thank Lorenzo Brualla and Josep Sempau for being my
team mates. Along this journey I have learned a world from them.
I want to express my deep gratitude to the following people:
Dr. Luca Cozzi, Clinical Research Scientist at the Istituto Clinico Hu-
manitas,Milan,forhishelpandsupportinthedistributionofPRIMO
as well as for his valuable advice.
Prof.Dr.med.WolfgangSauerwein,leitenderOberarztoftheStrahlen-
klinik at the Universitätsklinikum Essen, for support and help in the
distribution of PRIMO.
Prof. Dr. Pedro Andreo from the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, for
beta testing the PRIMO system and help in its dissemination.
Ms. Antonella Fogliata, medical physicist at the Istituto Clinico Hu-
manitas, Milan, for beta testing the PRIMO system and experimental
measurements on the TrueBeam linear accelerator.
Ms.FrancescaBelosi,medicalphysicistatthePaulScherrerInstitutin
Villigen, Switzerland, for extensively beta testing the PRIMO system.
Mr. Marcelino Hermida, medical physicist at the Hospital Universi-
tari Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona, for exhaustive testing the code and
valuable recomendations.
Prof. Dr. Antonio M. Lallena of the Unversidad de Granada, for his
valuable advice in reviewing other Monte Carlo systems.
Ms.NuriaEscobar,medicalphysicistattheUniversitätsklinikumAachen
for providing experimental measurements on the Elekta linear accel-
erator.
Dipl.-Phys.AndreaFlühs,medicalphysicistattheUniversitätsklinikum
Essen for measurements on Varian linac machines and valuable com-
ments about the PRIMO system.
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Mr. Josep Pujal, system administrator of the Argos computer cluster
at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
Mr. Michael Nieporte, system administrator of the Contessa com-
puter cluster at the Universitätsklinikum Essen.
Ms.InaGrübel,documentalistoftheStrahlenklinikattheUniversität-
sklinikum Essen.
To the many PRIMO users, for their comments and suggestions that
continuously help us to improve the code.
I am also grateful to the following institutions that have supported
my research:
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (projects BR 4043/1-1 and BR
4043/3-1).
TheSpanishMinisteriodeEconomiayCompetitividad(projectFIS2012-
38480).
The Zentrale Informationstechnik at the Universitätsklinikum Essen.
The program of Becas de la Cátedra de Seguridad Nuclear ARGOS
supported by the Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear and the Escola Tèc-
nica Superior d’Enginyeria Industrial de Barcelona for granting me
travel stipends in the years 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The IFORES program of the Medizinische Fakultät at the Universität
Duisburg-Essen.
The Grup Consolidat 2014SGR846 from the Spanish Generalitat de
Catalunya.
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