Comparative study of depth-dose distributions for beams of light and heavy nuclei in tissue-like media

Igor Pshenichnov; Igor Mishustin; Walter Greiner

doi:10.1016/j.nimb.2008.02.025

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arXiv · 0704.2519

Comparative study of depth-dose distributions for beams of light and heavy nuclei in tissue-like media

Igor Pshenichnov·Igor Mishustin·Walter Greiner

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Abstract

We study the energy deposition by light and heavy nuclei in tissue-like media as used for cancer therapy. The depth-dose distributions for protons, $^{3}$He, $^{12}$C, $^{20}$Ne, and $^{58}$Ni nuclei are calculated within a Monte Carlo model based on the GEANT4 toolkit. These distributions are compared with each other and with available experimental data. It is demonstrated that nuclear fragmentation reactions essentially reduce the peak-to-plateau ratio of the dose profiles for deeply penetrating energetic ions heavier than $^{3}$He. On the other hand, all projectiles up to $^{20}$Ne were found equally suitable for therapeutic use at low penetration depths.

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Igor Pshenichnov, Igor Mishustin, Walter Greiner. 2007-04-19. Comparative study of depth-dose distributions for beams of light and heavy nuclei in tissue-like media. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2008.02.025

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