Dosimetric characteristics of line 142Pr beta sources in a prostate phantom for potential use in brachytherapy using two different dosimetry techniques


Duruer K., Yücel H.

NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY, sa.104155, ss.1-11, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.net.2026.104155
  • Dergi Adı: NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), INSPEC, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-11
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

prostate phantom for its potential use in prostate brachytherapy. The line 142Pr sources containing in capillary

glass tubes, were produced through 141Pr(n,γ)142Pr reaction at a thermal neutron flux of 2.5x1012 n·cm−2·s−1 in a

250 kW Triga Mark II research reactor. Each tube containing ∼100 mg 141Pr (100%), when irradiated for 25 min,

resulted in a dose rate of ∼2 Gy/h suitable for brachytherapy, even after a decay time of 10–12 h. Dosimetric

characterization of line 142Pr sources were performed in terms of source strength, non-uniformity and active source

length according to NCS-14, ICRU-72, and AAPM TG-60/TG-149 protocols by using EBT3 radiochromic film and

ExradinW1 plastic scintillator detector(PSD). Measurements were conducted both in free-air and in waterequivalent

solid phantoms, followed by dose mapping in a patient-specific, 3D printed anthropomorphic pelvic

phantom representing prostate (target), bladder, and rectum (organs-at-risk). Although it does not exactly represent

a brachytherapy treatment case, the dosimetric results indicate that line 142Pr sources can be used in

brachytherapy applications at least as a medium-dose-rate brachytherapy source.

The produced novel line 142Pr beta sources exhibited low dose non-uniformities (0.8–3.7%) and source

strengths of approx. 2–3 Gy/h at 10 h post-production. Dose profiles obtained on the prostate phantom indicated

a steep beta dose fall-off and favorable dose distributions at OARs. The overall results indicate that line 142Pr beta

sources meet the essential dosimetric requirements for brachytherapy sources, and it may serve as a promising

candidate for future interstitial prostate applications, pending further pre-clinical evaluation.