Calculation of fluence and absorbed dose in head tissues due to different photon energies

Calculations of fluence and absorbed dose in head tissues due to different photon energies were carried out using the MCNPX code, to simulate two models of a patient's head: one spherical and another more realistic ellipsoidal. Both head models had concentric shells to describe the scalp skin, the cranium and the brain. The tumor was located at the center of the head and it was a 1 cm-radius sphere. The MCNPX code was run for different energies. Results showed that the fluence decreases as the photons pass through the different head tissues. It can be observed that, although the fluence into the tumor is different for both head models, absorbed dose is the same. - Highlights: • A Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate the passage of photons through a homogeneous material was developed. • Two models of a patient's head, one spherical and another more realistic ellipsoidal model, were simulated using the Monte Carlo code. • The fluence into the tumor is different for both head models, but absorbed dose in the tumor is the same