Análise de posicionamento de um profissional de braquiterapia comparado a um acidente

Abstract

High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a procedure where the radioactive source is positioned close to the tumor surface or inside the patient during the treatment. The most used source for these treatments is Ir-192. During this type of technique, it is possible for a problem to occur during follow-up, and thus lead to an accident, as was the case in Japan in 2014. This accident occurred during cervical cancer treatment, when it was not possible to collect the source correctly. The on-site professional entered the room to collect the source manually and was exposed to the radiation emitted by the source. This work used the Monte Carlo method to carry out simulations with anthropomorphic mesh objects and a construction of the treatment room made in Blender software, to obtain values for dose deposited on the professional and compare the results with the accident article analyzed. The article stated that after the measurements taken by the hospital, the professional's dose was around 0.1 mSv, while the dose obtained in this study was 4.33 mSv. The simulation did not consider the fact that the source was inside the patient, only exposed in the area, which led to the differences in values. In addition, the results were compared with CNEN guideline 3.01 in order to identify the professional's dose limits.