Monte Carlo Code Calculation for the Characterization of 10nm Nano-Layers Coated 50nm 90Y Radionuclide Nanospheres Radiation in the Liver Radionuclide Therapy

Cancer radionuclide therapy is an effective, beneficial, and crucial method of cancer treatment that uses unsealed radioactivated radionuclides sources that are attached to a targeting vector to deliver therapeutic radiation doses from the ionizing radiation source to specific disease sites either for curative intent or for disease control and palliation for the patient pain decreasing. For this aim, Monte Carlo N–Particle 5 (MCNP5) MC computational code was employed for simulations and calculations as well as radiation transport.

50nm 90Y radionuclide nanosphere was modelled coated by a 10nm coating layer with some non-toxic high and low Z materials. Physical interactions, such as β-ray and the simulated coating materials were studied and radiological parameters were scored by the used MC code. Attenuation of β-ray, and production of the bremsstrahlung X-ray photons and other phenomena were simulated by the code and analyzed. MC code estimated the effect of the simulated coating materials, such as Gold, Platinum, Gaddolonium, Silver, and Epoxy-Resin on the radiation characteristics around the modelled nano-radionuclide per 2nm from the radiation source surface to 1µm distance. Produced bremsstrahlung X-ray by the source coating material and tissue atoms, emitted β-particle number, flux over the surfaces (per 2nm), radiation fluence of photon and β- ray, deposited energy per gr of the cell medium, and average dose to the cells around the 500nm and 1µm distance from the radionuclide source surface also was derived.

Our results showed that coating the radionuclide with the materials especially high Z (Gold and Platinum) materials may produce a dual emitter radiation source, X-ray photon and β- ray and is capable of killing the cancer cells more than the source with not-coated source.

Our conclusion was that coating the β- ray emitter radionuclides, especially high-energy β- ray, enhances its therapeutical capability with X-ray and β- ray emission. The studied coated sources in our study were performed as a dual radiation source; produced X-ray and β-ray, which increases the therapeutic efficiency of the source.