A wearable tool for real-time dose monitoring during cancer radiation therapies

Abstract

We report on a wearable, human tissue-equivalent, real-time dosimeter designed to quantitatively monitor radiation absorbed by patients during cancer treatments. The fully organic device has been characterized under actual clinical conditions using a high-energy proton beam and an anthropomorphic phantom, with the aim to simulate a prostate cancer proton therapy treatment. We achieved a full control over the dosimeter operation, and we verified its linear response with the received dose. We demonstrate that, by a proper functionalization of the polysiloxane-based scintillator, it is possible to target the effective detection of different kinds of ionizing radiation. Specifically, besides protons, we develop a device able to detect thermal neutrons, targeting its use during Boron Neutron Capture Therapy. This work demonstrates how organic indirect detectors can be considered a universal radiation detecting platform able to monitor in real time and in situ the dose absorbed by patients during cancer treatments under different kinds of radiation.