Multifunctional water model body for boron neutron capture therapy

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of radiotherapy, in particular to a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy, the multifunctional water phantom is composed of a box body, an insertion plate and an experiment plate, the box body, the insertion plate and the experiment plate are all prepared from human tissue equivalent materials, the bottom of the box body is provided with a water outlet, and the bottom of the box body is provided with a water inlet. Slots are formed in two opposite sides of the inner part; one end of the insertion plate is in seamless connection with the insertion groove, and the other end of the insertion plate is in a tooth shape; the experiment board is arranged in the tooth-shaped grooves of the two oppositely-arranged insertion plates. The experiment board has the advantages of being diversified in function, convenient and stable to install, high in universality, convenient to observe and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of radiotherapy technology, and more specifically to a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy. Background Technology

[0002] Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a promising binary targeted radiotherapy modality. Its principle is based on the selective delivery of boron-10-enriched drugs to tumor cells, followed by irradiation with thermal or ultrathermal neutron beams. Upon capture of the boron-10 nuclei, neutrons undergo nuclear reactions, releasing high linear energy transfer density (LET) alpha particles and recoil lithium-7 nuclei at the cellular scale. This efficiently kills tumor cells while causing minimal damage to surrounding normal tissues. This unique mechanism determines the exceptionally complex dose composition of BNCT: the total dose primarily originates from the non-targeted dose generated by the interaction between the neutron beam and human tissue, and the targeted boron dose generated by the boron-10 capture reaction. Among these, the boron dose is the dominant factor in the therapeutic effect, but its spatial distribution is highly dependent on the differences in the metabolic distribution of boron drugs in vivo (especially between tumor and normal tissues). Therefore, precise BNCT dosimetry faces a dual challenge: not only is it necessary to measure the physically absorbed dose, but more importantly, it is crucial to distinguish and quantify the boron dose from non-boron dose components and verify their computational accuracy within the complex geometry of the human body.

[0003] In conventional photon or proton radiotherapy, standard water phantoms (such as solid water or water tanks) are widely used for dosimetric verification. Water's radiation attenuation and scattering properties are highly equivalent to those of human soft tissue, making it an ideal reference medium. However, the dosimetric basis of BNCT has fundamentally changed: the transport process of neutrons within the human body (primarily through scattering and absorption reactions with hydrogen and nitrogen nuclei) is far more complex than that of photons. In this process, water not only serves as a medium simulating the human body, but its hydrogen atoms are also the main moderators and reactants, while nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the water also participate in important reactions. Therefore, an ideal water phantom plays a dual crucial role in BNCT: firstly, as a standard medium closely resembling the neutron physics of human soft tissue, it is used for beam characterization and dosimeter calibration; secondly, as the "gold standard" reference for computational model verification, its composition and geometry provide precise input conditions for neutron transport simulations such as Monte Carlo simulations. Any material deviating from the composition or density of pure water will introduce unpredictable perturbations in the neutron energy spectrum, leading to systematic biases between measurements and calculations. Therefore, in the field of BNCT, liquid water phantoms or solid water equivalent phantoms with high purity and precise control of composition and density are irreplaceable dosimetric tools.

[0004] Existing water phantoms face the following progressive challenges: (1) The complex dose composition of BNCT requires water phantoms to serve as a benchmark platform for distinguishing and quantifying different dose components; (2) Traditional solid water phantoms for radiotherapy are insufficient in terms of neutron physics properties, failing to meet the stringent requirements of BNCT for boron content and component accuracy; (3) Existing dose measurement and treatment planning verification systems are highly dependent on water phantoms, but bottlenecks remain in accuracy and practicality regarding indirect boron dose measurement methods, the development and standardization of complex biomimetic phantoms. Therefore, developing and standardizing a water phantom system specifically for BNCT with highly precise and controllable components, and establishing a complete set of dosimetric measurement and verification specifications based on such standard phantoms, are key fundamental issues that urgently need to be addressed to promote the widespread clinical application of BNCT technology. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy. The multifunctional water phantom consists of a housing, insert plates, and an experimental plate. All components are made of materials equivalent to human tissue and can be freely combined according to actual application scenarios. The bottom of the housing has a drain outlet to facilitate the drainage of the boron-containing solution after the experiment and to ensure the water tank's airtightness during use. Slots are provided on opposite sides of the interior. The insert plates are flat, with one end seamlessly connected to the slot and the other end toothed. The experimental plate is placed within the toothed grooves of the two opposite insert plates, ensuring stability after installation and preventing easy shaking or displacement. The length of the experimental plate is adapted to the internal height of the water tank, ensuring its structural strength without excessively occupying internal space.

[0006] Preferably, the tissue material of the insert can be configured according to different human tissues and different boron concentrations during treatment, including but not limited to bone / muscle / soft tissue / skin.

[0007] Preferably, the experimental board and the insert board are solid modules.

[0008] Preferably, the experimental plate and the insert plate contain liquid tubing, which can inject boron-containing solutions of different concentrations according to experimental requirements.

[0009] Preferably, the insert plate can be freely combined into various shapes (including irregular shapes) according to the needs of the experiment / human model.

[0010] Preferably, the experimental plate is rectangular or cross-shaped.

[0011] Preferably, the experimental plate is provided with circular grooves, square grooves, or linear grooves.

[0012] Preferably, the human tissue equivalent material has the characteristic of high strength.

[0013] Preferably, the human tissue equivalent material of the tank is mainly PMMA material, which not only ensures the structural strength of the water tank, but also facilitates the operator to observe the internal experimental situation.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention provides a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy. The multifunctional water phantom consists of a water tank, a insert plate, and an experimental plate. The water tank is made of a material equivalent to human tissue, with a drain outlet at the bottom and slots on opposite sides inside. The insert plate is flat and has a modular design, allowing for the construction of a human-like phantom and the required boron drug concentration according to dosage verification experiments. One end is seamlessly connected to the slot, and the other end is toothed. The experimental plate is placed within the toothed groove. It has the following advantages: Diverse functions: Compared to ordinary water tanks, this design optimizes the measurement medium. The combination of various materials in the insert plate is closer to the human body environment than traditional radiotherapy phantoms. At the same time, the material has reserved liquid channels inside to facilitate the provision of experimental environments with different boron concentrations.

[0015] By using slots of different shapes on the long strip and cross-shaped experimental plates, various radiotherapy experimental needs can be met, such as the placement of detectors of different shapes such as activated foils / activated wires, the measurement of neutron / gamma spatial distribution in multiple dimensions such as axial and radial in water phantoms, and the placement of different types of detectors such as activated foils / thermoluminescence, providing more comprehensive experimental conditions for radiotherapy technology research.

[0016] Easy and stable installation: The toothed structure of the insert plate can quickly and easily lock the experimental plate in place, and the experimental plate is highly stable after installation, which can realize the accuracy of the experimental detector positioning, reduce the uncertainty caused by the displacement of the experimental plate during the experiment, and improve the accuracy of the experimental results.

[0017] High versatility: The two types of experimental plates and the variety of groove shapes enable the water phantom to adapt to different radiotherapy experimental scenarios, providing effective support for both basic dose measurement experiments and complex radiotherapy technology innovation experiments.

[0018] Convenient for observation: The water tank and experimental plate are made of transparent materials equivalent to human tissue as much as possible, which makes it easy for operators to directly observe the position and status of the experimental detector in the water during the experiment, and helps to identify problems in time and adjust the experimental plan. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the insert structure.

[0021] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of a long strip-shaped experimental plate.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-shaped experimental plate.

[0023] Note: 1. Water tank; 101. Drain outlet; 102. Slot; 2. Insert plate; 201. Toothed structure; 3. Experimental plate; 301. Circular groove strip experimental plate; 302. Square groove strip experimental plate; 303. Linear groove strip experimental plate; 304. Cross-shaped experimental plate.

[0024] Figure 5 Insert plate installation diagram Note: The rectangle is used as an illustration, and the actual shapes can be freely combined; among them: 5. Skin module; 6. Muscle module; 8. Bone module; 7. Boron injection port. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The scope of protection of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments. It should be noted that the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited by the following embodiments.

[0026] Example 1: Composition of a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy like Figure 1-5 As shown, this invention provides a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy. The multifunctional water phantom consists of a housing, insert plates, and an experimental plate. All three components are made of materials equivalent to human tissue and can be freely combined according to actual application scenarios. The housing has a drain outlet at the bottom to facilitate the drainage of the boron-containing solution after the experiment and ensure the water tank's airtightness during use. Slots are provided on opposite sides of the interior. The insert plates are flat, with one end seamlessly connected to the slot and the other end toothed. The experimental plate is placed within the toothed grooves of the two opposite insert plates, ensuring stability after installation and preventing easy shaking or displacement. The length of the experimental plate is adapted to the internal height of the water tank, ensuring its structural strength without excessively occupying internal space. The tissue material of the insert plates can be customized according to different human tissues and different boron concentrations during treatment, including but not limited to bone / muscle / soft tissue / skin. The experimental plate and insert plates are solid modules. The experimental plate and insert plates contain liquid pipelines, allowing the injection of boron-containing solutions of different concentrations according to experimental requirements. The experimental plate is rectangular or cross-shaped. It has circular, square, or linear grooves. The human tissue equivalent material used has high strength. Specifically, the human tissue equivalent material used in the tank is primarily PMMA, ensuring both structural strength and ease of observation of the internal experimental conditions by operators.

[0027] Example 2: Preparation of a multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy (1) Assembly and preparation of water tank Assembly process: PMMA sheets are cut and processed according to the design dimensions, and then assembled into a water tank structure using professional adhesive bonding technology. During the bonding process, ensure that all joints are well sealed to prevent leakage. Install the drain outlet and a faucet at the drain outlet.

[0028] Preparation: Fill the water tank with an appropriate amount of water and use water quality testing equipment to test the water quality to ensure it meets the requirements of the radiotherapy experiment. Place the water tank on a stable experimental platform and adjust the tank to be level to ensure it will not shake during the experiment.

[0029] (2) Installation of the plug plate Based on the human body environment required for the experiment, different modules (skin, muscle, and bone materials) are assembled into inserts and placed at the bottom of the box to simulate different human tissues, while reserving space for the experimental plate to place the detector.

[0030] Align the insert plate with the slots on both sides inside the water tank and slowly insert it, ensuring a tight fit between the insert plate and the slot. Check that the insert plate is securely installed and that the toothed structure is facing upwards and in the correct position for subsequent installation of the experimental plate.

[0031] (3) Installation and use of the experimental board Installation Procedure: Select a suitable experimental board based on your experimental requirements, such as a rectangular or cross-shaped board. Align one end of the experimental board with the toothed structure of the insert plate and gently insert it into the teeth, ensuring a secure installation. If multiple physical measurement experiments need to be conducted simultaneously, a combination of different experimental boards can be used, placing the appropriate board in the corresponding position to meet complex experimental needs.

[0032] (4) Filling of the insert plate and solution injection After installing the experimental board and detector, continue filling the required phantom with the insert plate according to the human anatomy. Once confirmed to be correct, inject the prepared boron solution of the corresponding concentration into the phantom according to the experimental requirements.

[0033] Procedure: Place the appropriate neutron / gamma measurement detectors, simulated tissue blocks, and other experimental materials in the slots of the experimental board. For example, when performing a neutron spatial distribution measurement experiment, place the activated foil detector in the circular slot; when performing a gamma dose / distribution measurement experiment, place the thermoluminescent detector in the square slot. After installing the experimental detectors, conduct the physical measurement experiment, observe, and record the experimental data.

Claims

1. A multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy, characterized in that, The multifunctional water model consists of a box, insert plates, and experimental plates. The box, insert plates, and experimental plates are all made of materials equivalent to human tissue. The bottom of the box is provided with a drain outlet, and slots are provided on opposite sides inside. The insert plates are flat, with one end seamlessly connected to the slot and the other end being toothed. The experimental plates are placed in the toothed grooves of the two opposite insert plates.

2. The multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The experimental board and the insert board are solid modules.

3. The multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The experimental plate and insert plate contain liquid tubing, into which boron-containing solutions of different concentrations are injected according to experimental requirements.

4. The multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The experimental plate is rectangular or cross-shaped.

5. The multifunctional water phantom for boron neutron capture therapy as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The experimental plate is provided with circular grooves, square grooves, or linear grooves.

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