Monte Carlo Simulation of Average Glandular Dose and an Investigation of Influencing Factors

This study aims to determine the average absorbed dose of radiation in glandular tissue during mammography and to investigate factors that influence the average glandular dose, particularly the local distribution of glandular tissue within the breast and breast skin thickness. An EGSnrc Monte Carlo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH 2010, Vol.51 (4), p.441-448
Main Authors: Nigapruke, Khatayut, Puwanich, Patana, Phaisangittisakul, Nakorn, Youngdee, Wiwat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Breast - anatomy & histology
Breast - radiation effects
Female
Humans
Mammography
Mammography - adverse effects
Mammography - statistics & numerical data
Middle Aged
Models, Biological
Monte Carlo Method
Phantoms, Imaging
Physiological aspects
Radiation Dosage
Radiometry - statistics & numerical data
Risk Assessment
Skin - anatomy & histology
Thailand
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Summary:This study aims to determine the average absorbed dose of radiation in glandular tissue during mammography and to investigate factors that influence the average glandular dose, particularly the local distribution of glandular tissue within the breast and breast skin thickness. An EGSnrc Monte Carlo code and associated codes were employed in the simulation. The breast voxel models used consist of a homogeneous and heterogeneous mixture of adipose and glandular tissues embedded in a skin layer. The percent depth dose and normalized average glandular dose coefficients for spectra of Mo-Mo target-filter combination were calculated. The results showed good agreement with the experimental results (percent depth dose) and literature values (normalized average glandular dose coefficients) when the breast model is homogeneous. Additional investigation of a heterogeneous breast phantom indicates that the local distribution of glandular tissue within the breast, as well as breast skin thickness, could affect the average glandular dose considerably more than that of a typical homogeneous breast model. This problem may be a concern in most practical situations of breast dosimetry when assessing the radiation risk to patients.
ISSN:0449-3060
1349-9157
1349-9157
DOI:10.1269/jrr.10008