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The bremsstrahlung spectra produced by electrons impinging on thick targets are simulated using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. Simulations are validated against experimental data available in literature for a range of energy between 0.5 and 2.8 MeV for Al and Fe targets and for a value of energy of 70 keV for Al, Ag, W and Pb targets. All three independent sets of electromagnetic models available in Geant4 to simulate bremsstrahlung are tested. A quantitative analysis is performed reproducing with each model the energy spectrum for the different configurations of emission angles, energies and targets. At higher energies (0.5-2.8 MeV) of the impinging electrons on Al and Fe targets, Geant4 is able to reproduce the spectral shapes and the integral photon emission in the forward direction. The agreement is within 10-30%, depending on energy, emission angle and target material. The physics model based on the Penelope Monte Carlo code is in slightly better agreement with the measured data than the other two. However, all models over-estimate the photon emission in the backward hemisphere. For the lower energy study (70 keV), which includes higher-Z targets, all models systematically under-estimate the total photon yield, while still providing a reasonable agreement between 10 and 50%. The results of this work are of potential interest for medical physics applications, where knowledge of the energy spectra and angular distributions of photons is needed for accurate dose calculations with Monte Carlo and other fluence-based methods.

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BackgroundA new transcranial focused ultrasound device has been developed that can induce hyperthermia in a large tissue volume. The purpose of this work is to investigate theoretically how glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) can be effectively treated by combining the fast hyperthermia generated by this focused ultrasound device with external beam radiotherapy.Methods/DesignTo investigate the effect of tumor growth, we have developed a mathematical description of GBM proliferation and diffusion in the context of reaction–diffusion theory. In addition, we have formulated equations describing the impact of radiotherapy and heat on GBM in the reaction–diffusion equation, including tumor regrowth by stem cells. This formulation has been used to predict the effectiveness of the combination treatment for a realistic focused ultrasound heating scenario.Our results show that patient survival could be significantly improved by this combined treatment modality.DiscussionHigh priority should be given to experiments to validate the therapeutic benefit predicted by our model.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40349-016-0078-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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