A study on absorbed dose measurement using a butyl acrylate-based plastic scintillator as a tissue-equivalent detector

Radiation therapy is a commonly used cancer treatment in modern medicine, often combined with surgery and chemotherapy. Studies are being conducted to determine the absorbed dose in the tumor volume. This study developed a dosimeter system using butyl acrylate-based plastic scintillators as a tissue-equivalent detector to assess the absorbed dose during photon radiation therapy. The plastic scintillator was based on butyl acrylate and contained 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) as the primary fluor and 1,4-bis(5-phenyloxazol-2-yl) benzene (POPOP) as the wavelength shifter. Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide (TPO) was utilized as a photoinitiator, and the solution was polymerized with a 200 W mercury lamp. The butyl acrylate-based plastic scintillator was evaluated using 6 MV and 10 MV photon beams for clinical energy. Simulation data for absorbed energy in the photon beam was obtained through the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation method.