Impact of Maltose Additive on Improving the Radiation Sensitivity of HEMA Polymer Gel Dosimeter for Radiotherapy

Abstract:

The aim of this work is to evaluate the impact of maltose additive on the radiation sensitivity of the polymer gel dosimeter (PGD), made from a less toxic monomer, 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA). The sensitivity of the PGD recipe made from HEMA as monomer, N,N’- Methylene-Bis-Acrylamide (BIS) as cross linker, Gelatin as gel matrix and Tetrakis (Hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride (THPC) as antioxidant, was evaluated using UV-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis.) when irradiated with x-ray, using clinical linear accelerator (LINAC), within the dose range of 0–30 Gy. The baseline correction was performed using three different approaches: using (i) deionized water (DI-H₂O), (ii) unirradiated sample in the reference compartment, and (iii) unirradiated sample in both the reference and the sample compartments. DI-H₂O or unirradiated sample was then used as a reference sample to scan the irradiated ones. The three approaches were compared and all of them confirmed that increasing the maltose concentration within the optimal range results in an improved sensitivity. However, they differed in the optimum concentration. The result revealed that using the third approach, maltose addition achieved an efficiency of 750.0% compared to the sample without the addition, while the first and the second approaches achieved efficiencies of 550.0% and 330.0% respectively. The reasons for these differences were discussed. These findings are important for enhancing radiation dosimetry using PGDs and we finally recommend the use of maltose additive in the HEMA-based PGD to improve radiation sensitivity, melting temperature and tissue equivalence for radiotherapy planning and dosimetry system.

• Periodical: Engineering Headway (Volume 15)
• Pages: 79-87
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-xU3Z3U
• Online since: January 2025
• Authors: Alhassan Muhammad*, Abdul Rahman Azhar, Iskandar Shahrim Mustafa, Abdul Aziz Mohd Zahri
• Keywords: 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate, Additive Efficiency, Baseline Correction, Polymer Gel Dosimeter, Sensitivity

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