Search Results (5)

Experimental microdosimetry along with the microdosimetric kinetic (MK) model can be utilized to predict the biological effects of ions. To predict the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of ions and the survival fraction (SF) of human salivary gland tumour (HSGc-C5) cells, microdosimetric quantities measured by a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MicroPlus-mushroom microdosimeter along the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) delivered by pencil beam scanning of ⁴He, ¹²C, ¹⁶O, and ²⁰Ne ions were used. The MK model parameters of HSGc-C5 cells were obtained from the best fit of the calculated SF for the different linear energy transfer (LET) of these ions and the formerly reported in vitro SF for the same LET and ions used for calculations. For a cube-shaped target of 10 × 10 × 6 cm³, treatment plans for ⁴He, ¹²C, ¹⁶O, and ²⁰Ne ions were produced with proprietary treatment planning software (TPS) aiming for 10% SF of HSGc-C5 cells over the target volume and were delivered to a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom. Afterwards, the saturation-corrected dose-mean lineal energy derived based on the measured microdosimetry spectra, along with the physical dose at various depths in PMMA phantoms, was used for the estimation of the SF, RBE, and RBE-weighted dose using the MK model. The predicted SF, RBE, and the RBE-weighted dose agreed with what was planned by the TPS within 3% at most depths for these ions. Full article

Microdosimetry is increasingly adopted in the characterization of proton and carbon ion beams used in cancer therapy. Spectra and mean values of lineal energy calculated in frequency and dose are seen by many as the tools which, by complementing dosimetric measurements, allow for the most complete characterization of the therapeutic radiation fields. The urgency is now to consolidate the experience and converge to commonly accepted methodologies. In this context, the purpose of this work is to study the effects of the energy-loss straggling and the delta-ray escape, considering slab-sensitive volumes; these are, in fact, the typical shapes of solid-state microdosimeters, which are widely used in investigating light ion therapy beams. The method considers the energy distribution of delta rays resulting from the collision of the impinging ion and, taking into account the escape, convolutes it with itself as many times as the expected number of collisions in the sensitive volume thickness. The resulting distribution is compared to the experimental microdosimetric spectrum showing a substantially good agreement. The extension of the methodology to a wider range of ion energy and detector characteristics is instrumental for a detector-independent microdosimetric assessment of the radiation fields. Full article

The Centre for Medical Radiation Physics introduced the concept of Silicon On Insulator (SOI) microdosimeters with 3-Dimensional (3D) cylindrical sensitive volumes (SVs) mimicking the dimensions of cells in an array. Several designs of high-definition 3D SVs fabricated using 3D MEMS technology were implemented. 3D SVs were fabricated in different sizes and configurations with diameters between 18 and 30 µm, thicknesses of 2–50 µm and at a pitch of 50 µm in matrices with volumes of 20 × 20 and 50 × 50. SVs were segmented into sub-arrays to reduce capacitance and avoid pile up in high-dose rate pencil beam scanning applications. Detailed TCAD simulations and charge collection studies in individual SVs have been performed. The microdosimetry probe (MicroPlus) is composed of the silicon microdosimeter and low-noise front–end readout electronics housed in a PMMA waterproof sheath that allows measurements of lineal energies as low as 0.4 keV/µm in water or PMMA. Microdosimetric quantities measured with SOI microdosimeters and the MicroPlus probe were used to evaluate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of heavy ions and protons delivered by pencil-beam scanning and passive scattering systems in different particle therapy centres. The 3D detectors and MicroPlus probe developed for microdosimetry have the potential to provide confidence in the delivery of RBE optimized particle therapy when introduced into routine clinical practice. Full article

A single crystal chemical vapor deposition (scCVD) diamond membrane-based microdosimetric system was used to perform simultaneous measurements of dose profile and microdosimetric spectra with the Y1 proton passive scattering beamline of the Center of Proton Therapy, Institute Curie in Orsay, France. To qualify the performance of the set-up in clinical conditions of hadrontherapy, the dose, dose rate and energy loss pulse-height spectra in a diamond microdosimeter were recorded at multiple points along depth of a water-equivalent plastic phantom. The dose-mean lineal energy (${\overline{y}}_D$) values were computed from experimental data and compared to silicon on insulator (SOI) microdosimeter literature results. In addition, the measured dose profile, pulse height spectra and ${\overline{y}}_D$ values were benchmarked with a numerical simulation using TOPAS and Geant4 toolkits. These first clinical tests of a novel system confirm that diamond is a promising candidate for a tissue equivalent, radiation hard, high spatial resolution microdosimeter in beam quality assurance of proton therapy. Full article

The present overview describes the evolution of new microdosimeters developed in the National Microelectronics Center in Spain (IMB-CNM, CSIC), ranging from the first ultra-thin 3D diodes (U3DTHINs) to the advanced 3D-cylindrical microdetectors, which have been developed over the last 10 years. In this work, we summarize the design, main manufacture processes, and electrical characterization of these devices. These sensors were specifically customized for use in particle therapy and overcame some of the technological challenges in this domain, namely the low noise capability, well-defined sensitive volume, high spatial resolution, and pile-up robustness. Likewise, both architectures reduce the loss of charge carriers due to trapping effects, the charge collection time, and the voltage required for full depletion compared to planar silicon detectors. In particular, a 3D‒cylindrical architecture with electrodes inserted into the silicon bulk and with a very well‒delimited sensitive volume (SV) mimicked a cell array with shapes and sizes similar to those of mammalian cells for the first time. Experimental tests of the carbon beamlines at the Grand Accélérateur National d’Lourds (GANIL, France) and Centro Nazionale Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO, Italy) showed the feasibility of the U3DTHINs in hadron therapy beams and the good performance of the 3D‒cylindrical microdetectors for assessing linear energy distributions of clinical beams, with clinical fluence rates of 5 × 10⁷ s⁻¹cm⁻² without saturation. The dose-averaged lineal energies showed a generally good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. The results indicated that these devices can be used to characterize the microdosimetric properties in hadron therapy, even though the charge collection efficiency (CCE) and electronic noise may pose limitations on their performance, which is studied and discussed herein. In the last 3D‒cylindrical microdetector generation, we considerably improved the CCE due to the microfabrication enhancements, which have led to shallower and steeper dopant profiles. We also summarize the successive microdosimetric characterizations performed with both devices in proton and carbon beamlines. Full article