Brachytherapy package for TOPAS

This package has been developed by the Medical Physics Research Group at Laval University [https://physmed.fsg.ulaval.ca](https://physmed.fsg.ulaval.ca) with the close collaboration of the TOPAS developer team.

Collaborators:

  • Francisco Berumen
  • Audran Poher
  • Yunzhi Ma
  • Jose Ramos Mendez
  • Joseph Perl
  • Luc Beaulieu

For any presentation or publication using the track-length estimator or brachytherapy related calculation, please cite the following published works:

  • Francisco Berumen, Yunzhi Ma, José Ramos-Méndez, Joseph Perl, and Luc Beaulieu. “Validation of the TOPAS Monte Carlo toolkit for HDR brachytherapy simulations”, Brachytherapy (2021) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brachy.2020.12.007
  • Audran Poher, Francisco Berumen, Yunzhi Ma, Joseph Perl, and Luc Beaulieu. “Characterization of LDR brachytherapy sources using the TOPAS Monte Carlo toolkit”, COMP annual meeting 2021.

The Brachytherapy TOPAS package includes 4 examples:

  • DoseTLE.txt
  • HDRSource.txt
  • HDRSourceInApplicator.txt
  • LDRSource.txt

These examples in turn use sources and seeds found in topas/examples/LDR and topas/examples/HDR:

  • 3 HDR sources (Flexisource, TG186, MicroSelectronV2)
  • 12 LDR sources (IsoRay CS-1 Rev2, Bard STM1251, Best 2301, IsoAid IAI-125A, OncoSeed 6711, selectSeed 130.002, SL-125, Theragenics AgX100, Best 2335, IsoAid IAPd-103A, TheraSeed 200 Heavy, TheraSeed 200 Light)

Note that for each source a self-contained parameter file is provided. In such a way, the desired source can be imported with the includeFile method. For some sources, the layered mass geometry method was used, and the corresponding physics parameter is also given at the end.

HDRsource.txt and LDRSource.txt files provide a quick example on how to import a single source and visualize it, comment/uncomment the includeFile line accordingly.

For both Theraseed200 models, the user can define the materials of left and right caps.

The HDRSourceInApplicator.txt file presents the TG186 source inside the TG186 applicator.

The DoseTLE.txt file scores the dose of the previous setup using the TLE. The TLE requires the mass absorption coefficients which are given to TOPAS in the InputFile parameter “Muen.dat”.

References

Track Length Estimator:

  • H Afsharpour et al., “ALGEBRA: ALgorithm for the heterogeneous dosimetry based on GEANT4 for BRAchytherapy”, Physics in Medicine and Biology, 57(11), 3273–3280, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1088/0031-9155/57/11/3273
  • Jeffrey F. Williamson, “Monte Carlo evaluation of kerma at a point for photon transport problems”, Medical Physics 14, 567 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1118/1.596069

Ir-192 sources

TG186 source and applicator:

  • F Ballester et al., “A generic high-dose rate 192Ir brachytherapy source for evaluation of model-based dose calculations beyond the TG-43 formalism”, Medical Physics, Vol. 42, No. 6, June 2015. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4921020
  • Y Ma et al., “A generic TG-186 shielded applicator for commissioning model-based dose calculation algorithms for high-dose-rate 192Ir brachytherapy”, Medical Physics, 44 (11), November 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/mp.12459

Micro selectron V2:

Flexisource:

I-125 sources

IsoAid, LLC, Advantage I-125, IAI-125A:

Mills Bio. Pharm., ProstaSeed, 125SL:

Nucletron SelectSeed 130.002:

  • Karaiskos et al , “Monte Carlo dosimetry of the selectSeed 125-I interstitial brachytherapy seed”, Med. Phys., 28 , 1753—1760 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1118/1.1384460
    1. Anagnostopoulos et al , “Thermoluminescent dosimetry of the selectSeed 125-I interstitial brachytherapy seed”, Med. Phys., 29 , 709-716, (2002). https://doi.org/10.1118/1.1469631
  • Mark J. Rivard et al., “Supplement 2 for the 2004 update of the AAPM Task Group No. 43 Report: Joint recommendations by the AAPM and GEC-ESTRO”, Medical Physics 44 (9), e297-e338. https://doi.org/10.1002/mp.12430

Theragenics Co., I-Seed I-125, AgX100:

Bard Urological Division, 125Implant Seeds, STM1251:

  • “Bard Urological Division, 125Implant Seeds, STM1251 | Department of Physics”, consulted July 6th 2020, https://physics.carleton.ca/clrp/egs_brachy/seed_database/I125/STM_1251
  • Assen S. Kirov et Jeffrey F. Williamson, “Monte Carlo-Aided Dosimetry of the Source Tech Medical Model STM1251 I-125 Interstitial Brachytherapy Source”, Medical Physics 28, no 5 (2001): 764‑72, https://doi.org/10.1118/1.1367280
  • Assen S. Kirov et Jeffrey F. Williamson, “Erratum: “Monte Carlo-Aided Dosimetry of the Source Tech Medical Model STM1251 I-125 Interstitial Brachytherapy Source” [Med. Phys. 28, 764–772 (2001)]”, Medical Physics 29, no 2 (2002): 262‑63, https://doi.org/10.1118/1.1446107

Best Industries, Best I-125, 2301:

Amersham, OncoSeed, 6711:

Pd-103 sources

Best Industries, BestPd-103, 2335:

IsoAid, Advantage, IAPd-103A:

Theragenics Co., TheraSeed, 200:

Cs-131 source

IsoRay Medical Inc., Proxcelan, CS-1 Rev2: