Advisory Committee Chair
Emily Caffrey
Advisory Committee Members
Charles Wilson
Glenn Sturchio
Muhammad Maqbool
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
1-1-2025
Degree Name by School
Master of Science (MS) School of Health Professions
Abstract
Accurate localization of malignant tissues is critical in breast cancer treatment to ensure effective therapy while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Radioactive seed localization, specifically using Iodine-125 (I-125), is a prominent method due to its precision and minimally invasive nature. However, this technique poses a risk of radiation exposure to adjacent healthy tissues. This study aims to quantify the radiation dose to healthy breast tissue from I-125 seed implantation by employing two distinct computational approaches: a hemisphere breast model in MATLAB and Monte Carlo simulations in Mathematica. The American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group 43 (TG- 43) provides standardized parameters, including radial dose functions, anisotropy functions, and dose rate constants for various radioactive seeds. While TG-43 has improved dose calculation accuracy, its application to specific anatomical contexts, such as breast tissue, requires further validation. Our research employs a controlled physical model to simulate human breast tissue and Monte Carlo simulations to precisely model radiation interactions within the tissue. The study's dual approach of combining MATLAB-based hemisphere modeling with Monte Carlo simulations allowed for comprehensive dose distribution analysis. Preliminary results indicate that, based on the hemisphere model, the cumulative dose to ii healthy breast tissue at a radial distance of 1 centimeter reaches 50 cGy after approximately 208 days of I-125 seed implantation. These findings align closely with values reported in previous publications, validating the accuracy of our simulations. By integrating TG-43 data into both modeling approaches, this research enhances the precision of dose calculations and offers a robust understanding of radiation impacts on healthy tissues. The results aim to inform medical physicists and clinicians in refining protocols that optimize the balance between localization benefits and radiation safety. This study addresses the critical research gap in dosimetric effects of I-125 seed localization, contributing to the advancement of safer and more effective breast cancer treatments.
Recommended Citation
Ward, Katherine, "Radioactive Seed Localization For The Resection Of Nonpalpable Breast Lesions" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 6897.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/6897
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