DEVELOPMENT OF A LOW-DOSE RADIATION THERAPY DEVICE FOR ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

This research focuses on developing a low-dose radiotherapy (LD-RT) device for treating acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This respiratory illness affects millions of people a year. Using orthovoltage (200 – 500 keV) X-ray energy provides many advantages over traditional radiotherapy delivery with linear accelerators, such as low cost and greater accessibility. In addition, X-ray tubes have been shown throughout history to provide good treatment outcomes for pneumonia, and research has shown LD-RT to be just as effective with ARDS. This proposal summarizes my efforts in determining the dosimetric properties of an LD-RT system to deliver treatment quickly and effectively. My research involves Monte Carlo transport simulations in MCNP to calculate a whole lung treatment's dose delivery and coverage. In addition, different setup geometries and beam modifications, such as filtration, are explored to optimize the treatment delivery. The development of such a system would greatly expand the treatment options for ARDS-type illness at a lower cost and greater accessibility than current radiotherapy options.