Dose backscatter factors for selected beta sources as a function of source, calcified plaque and contrast agent using Monte Carlo calculations.

Electron backscattering is a prominent secondary effect in beta dosimetry, and is closely correlated with factors such as the geometries of the source and the scattering material, as well as the composition of the scattering material. Previous results were varied depending on the experimental setup and detector resolution, and were generally performed for monoenergetic electron beams, which makes direct application of these factors to beta sources difficult. In this work, backscattering factors were calculated with MCNP 4C for selected beta sources currently in use (32P and 90Sr/90Y) as well as for sources of potential therapeutic use (45Ca, 142Pr and 185W). Specifically, the calculations used beta spectra generated by the SADDE MOD2 code. The factors were calculated as a function of the distance from the interface between water and scatterers. The scatterers include source surroundings, source supporting materials and contrast agents commonly used for imaging purposes in brachytherapy. The results were fit by a simple function for future incorporation into a dose point kernel code. Due to the high-Z material content (iodine, Z = 53) in the contrast agent, a significant dose backscatter was observed near the water interface. Different cross-section algorithms in the MCNP code (inherent and ITS 3.0) affect the factor calculations. The results generated by the ITS 3.0 algorithm closely matched the EGS4 calculations for 32P. The dependence of backscatter factors on log(Z + 1) (Baily 1980 Med. Phys. 7514-9) was observed for all the beta sources with a high correlation coefficient, R (> 0.95). The overall results indicate that the backscattering effect is significant at short distances from the surface of the interface between water and the scattering material. This model can also aid in choosing a source support or mixing materials for beta brachytherapy sources.