High-dose rate brachytherapy is a type of treatment of cancer whereby a radioactive source is inserted directly into the tissue or its nearest vicinity for short time intervals, damaging the DNA of rapidly dividing cancer cells and triggering cell death. This study considers Ytterbium-169, a high-energy photon source, as an alternative to Iridium-192, the current HDR brachytherapy standard. We demonstrate that Ytterbium-169 performs as successfully as Iridium-192 in delivering a high, uniform dose to soft tissues, but results in an unfavorably high dose to bone tissue. We suggest that Ytterbium-169 is a promising target for intensity modulated brachytherapy.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Korkhov, Sergey

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042717-120250

Advisor

• Medich, David Christopher

Year

• 2017

Date created

• 2017-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Physics

Rights statement

• In Copyright