Influence of Proton Therapy on Brain Tumor Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) and Dose Distribution Analysis

• Main Authors: Wang,Jason James, 王薪崴
• Other Authors: Hong,Che-Wun
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9we9u2

碩士 === 國立清華大學 === 動力機械工程學系 === 105 === Brain cancer is a lethal disease which is quite difficult to cure by traditional therapy such as surgery since human brain consists of very complicated nervous system. It is very likely to make undesirable mistakes during an operation. Proton therapy is a very effective method to destroy brain cancer cells because it has a special characteristic: the Bragg Peak. This special feature allows the dose deposit in the premier part of the incident path to remain at a very low value and then suddenly soar to the climax. With this magnificent phenomenon, it is possible to kill the tumor cells without damaging other normal cells, thus avoiding unwanted side effects after the cure. In this paper, we use Monte-Carlo method and quantum chemistry to simulate the behavior of protons traveling through substrates such as water and calculate the dose distribution and other properties. To build a DNA model and calculate its bonding energy through quantum chemistry methods, Gaussian is a tool required. As to obtain the dose distribution and proton range by using Monte-Carlo method, Geant4 would be an adequate computer program for the task. According to our research, the dose deposit in the front part of the model actually seems to be too low to break the bonding of DNA. Only the dose near the Bragg Peak is capable of breaking the backbone of the DNA structure. Therefore, proton therapy is proved to be a safe way to remedy brain cancer by now.