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Radiation Therapy and Dosimetry · Journal article
Ejnmmi Physics · August 15, 2026
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This computational study validates AlfaMC, a Monte Carlo code optimized for alpha-particle microdosimetry, by comparing its predictions against MCNPX and Geant4 across thyroid follicle models in three species. The codes showed good internal agreement (2–5%), supporting AlfaMC as a validated tool for absorbed dose estimation to thyroid tissue from free 211At, but the study does not address clinical safety or efficacy.
Computational methods comparison study across three Monte Carlo codes. Computational models of thyroid follicles (single and multiple) in human, rat, and mouse; no biological or human subjects.. Intervention: Monte Carlo simulations using AlfaMC (alpha-particle optimized code). Compared with: MCNPX and Geant4 Monte Carlo codes.
Agreement between AlfaMC and MCNPX results within 5% Agreement between AlfaMC and Geant4 results within 2% Microdosimetric quantities calculated for uniform and non-uniform 211At distributions in single and multiple follicle models
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This work supports the use of AlfaMC for rapid, validated calculation of radiation absorbed dose to the thyroid from free 211At, which is important for patient safety monitoring in 211At-labelled radiopharmaceutical therapy. However, the clinical translation to human dosimetry or toxicity prediction requires validation against biological or clinical data not provided here.
This is a computational methods validation study comparing three Monte Carlo codes for microdosimetry calculations; it demonstrates technical concordance but provides no clinical outcome data or patient evidence.
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This work supports the use of AlfaMC for rapid, validated calculation of radiation absorbed dose to the thyroid from free 211At, which is important for patient safety monitoring in 211At-labelled radiopharmaceutical therapy. However, the clinical translation to human dosimetry or toxicity prediction requires validation against biological or clinical data not provided here.
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Abstract Background Radionuclide therapy is an increasingly used treatment modality for patients with disseminated cancer diseases. Tumor-binding radiopharmaceuticals labelled with the alpha-particle emitter astatine-211 ( 211 At) are of interest to enable high radiation absorbed doses to small tumors. The alpha particles emitted by 211 At will deposit all their energy in a short-range including neighboring cells, causing localized irradiation. Due to being part of group 17 the halogen family with iodine, free 211 At accumulates in the thyroid gland, which is the main normal organ at risk. It is therefore of great importance to estimate the radiation absorbed dose accurately to the thyroid gland for free 211 At. The aims of the work were to determine microdosimetric quantities for uniform and non-uniform 211At distributions within different models of the thyroid gland using the Monte Carlo (MC) codes AlfaMC and GEometry ANd Tracking (Geant4), and to compare the results with previously published data using Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended (MCNPX). AlfaMC is customized for calculating microdosimetric quantities for alpha-particles. Results Both a single and a multiple thyroid follicle model designed for man, rat and mouse were used from previously published studies. Monte Carlo simulations and absorbed dose-calculations were performed for different distributions of 211At within the thyroid models. The mean specific energy, single-hit mean specific energy and single-hit specific energy distribution were calculated for follicle cell nuclei in models for each species. Conclusion The overall agreement between AlfaMC and MCNPX results, and between AlfaMC and Geant4 results, was found to be within 5% and 2%, respectively. The intercomparison suggested an effective way for validation of microdosimetry results; of AlfaMC validation, a code designed with a focus on reducing the calculation time.
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