Calculation of radiation dose enhancement by gadolinium compounds for radiation therapy

Abstract

In this study, we evaluate the features of dose enhancement with Gd contrast agent (Magnevist). Due to the increased relaxation time and high atomic number (z=64) Gd can be used in radiation therapy as a radiosensitizer. To perform a quantitative evaluation of the radiosensitization effect is determined a parameter called the dose enhancement factor - DEF. The DEF values were calculated based on the analysis of the mass absorption coefficients for gadolinium and biological tissue. An increase in DEF is observed when the radiation energy is higher than the K-shell ionization energy of Gd atoms. For the presence of 20315 ppm Gd contrast agent in biological tissue the dose enrichment factor is maximum DEF = 4.12 at photon irradiation energy 60 keV. Also, based on calculations for photon irradiation sources considered high degrees of dose enhancement occur for Am-241, Yb-196, and 100 kVp X-ray tube.