Angular distributions of secondary neutron and photon ambient dose equivalent in proton therapy: a systematic PHITS 3.35 study at 70–250 MeV
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Monte Carlo simulation of secondary neutron and photon dosimetry — specifically the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) — is central to radiation protection in pencil-beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy. We report particle and heavy ion transport code system (PHITS) version 3.35 calculations of H*(10) for proton beams from 70 to 250MeV incident on a water phantom representative of the Ion Beam Applications Blue Phantom, scored at 11 emission angles at 80 cm using International Commission on Radiological Protection Publication 74 fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients. Results are normalised to peak absorbed dose, yielding the quantity H*(10)/D [nSv Gy −1 ] relevant to facility shielding and patient out-of-field dose estimation. The distal Bragg-peak range R80 was benchmarked against independent Geant4/Gate calculations, agreeing within −0.56% to −3.61% and meeting the ±3% clinical criterion for energies⩾ 100MeV. Enabling the low-energy neutron event-generator mode changed secondary-neutron yields by less than 0.2%, indicating that default settings are adequate for these radiation-protection estimates. The H*(10)/D angular distribution showed a forward maximum near 40° and a backward maximum at 180°; the forward-to-lateral ratio H*(40°)/H*(90°) rose from 1.1 at 70 MeV to 2.5 at 250MeV — the forward peak becoming the global maximum above 150 MeV — while neutrons exceeded photons at 90° by factors of 22.9 – 56.2. A representative PBS nozzle model was added to quantify the effect of beam-line components; the simulated forward energy dependence and neutron spectral composition agree with published pencil-beam-scanning measurements, while absolute magnitudes remain lower owing to the single-pencil bare-phantom geometry. For a 150 MeV spread-out Bragg peak, H*(10)/D was 4.8 – 6.2× higher than the monoenergetic beam, reflecting the larger number of protons required per unit dose. The dose-normalised dataset provides a systematic, practical reference for PHITS users in proton therapy radiation protection.
Institution: Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Language: English
Subfield: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,325
OpenAlex ID: W7203645171