MONTE CARLO SIMULATION IN INTERNAL RADIOTHERAPY OF THYROID CANCER

Abstract

Thyroid radiotherapy is a cancer therapy that is treated by giving radioactive I-131 in Thyroid gland. This cancer is at the ninth from ten of common malignant cancer. A man has higher risk to get Thyroid cancer than a woman has. This organ is lain near human neck. This research aim was to simulate particle track of radiation I-131 and determine an absorbed dose and effective dose in Thyroid and other organs around Thyroid such as Brain, Lung and Cervical vertebrae. The simulation and calculation used Monte Carlo method operated by MCNPX software. Geometry of Thyroid and other organs used ORNL MIRD phantom geometry. From the results, it shown that particle track of radiation was distributed at Thyroid while several particles radiated other organs. The absorbed dose in Thyroid and other organs increased every rising activity of I-131 used, but the absorbed dose in other organs was less than in Thyroid. Radiation effect for damage cancer in Thyroid was shown by an effective dose which it increased every rising activity of I-131 used and the maximum effective dose was at 200 mCi activity of I-131. Although the effective dose in Thyroid increased, the effective dose in other organs like Brain, Lung and Cervical vertebrae was still less than in Thyroid so that the use of I-131 each activity did not really influence other organs around Thyroid.