PENELOPE Monte Carlo engine for treatment planning in radiation therapy with Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE) of 150–250 MeV

The use of electron beams with energies of 150-250 MeV, called Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE), has been proposed as a new modality for radiation therapy of cancer. VHEE modality may have potential advantages for tumor irradiation compared with conventional megavoltage photon or proton therapy. The Monte Carlo simulation of the VHEE application is currently the only available option for treatment planning for this modality. We have designed a computational engine, based on the PENELOPE general purpose Monte Carlo code, for simulation of particle transport in computed tomography (CT) voxel geometries. We have applied this engine to VHEE treatment planning for prostate and lung cancer and calculated dose distributions that have been compared to doses from conventional modalities. Our engine is applicable to VHEE as well as to conventional modalities.