Technical Note: Monte Carlo calculations of the AAPM TG‐43 brachytherapy dosimetry parameters for a new titanium‐encapsulated Yb‐169 source

Due to a number of distinct advantages resulting from the relatively low energy gamma ray spectrum of Yb-169, various designs of Yb-169 sources have been developed over the years for brachytherapy applications. Lately, Yb-169 has also been suggested as an effective and practical radioisotope option for a novel radiation treatment approach often known as gold nanoparticle-aided radiation therapy (GNRT). In a recently published study, the current investigators used the Monte Carlo N-Particle Version 5 (MCNP5) code to design a novel titanium-encapsulated Yb-169 source optimized for GNRT applications. In this study, the original MC source model was modified to accurately match the specifications of the manufactured Yb-169 source. The modified MC model was then used to obtain a complete set of the AAPM TG-43 parameters for the new titanium-encapsulated Yb-169 source. The MC-calculated dose rate constant for this titanium-encapsulated Yb-169 source was 1.19 ± 0.03 cGy·h−1·U−1, indicating no significant change from the values reported for stainless steel-encapsulated Yb-169 sources. The source anisotropy and radial dose function for the new source were also found similar to those reported for the stainless steel-encapsulated Yb-169 sources. The current results suggest that the use of titanium, instead of stainless steel, to encapsulate the Yb-169 core would not lead to any major change in the dosimetric characteristics of the Yb-169 source. The results also show that the titanium encapsulation of the Yb-169 source could be accomplished while meeting the design goals as described in the current investigators’ published MC optimization study for GNRT applications.