Gonad Dose of Patients in the X-ray Treatment of Benign Tumors and Some Problems in the Gonadal Exposure of Attendants in Radiotherapy of the Infants

Abstract

Many of the patients of benign tumors and chronic inflammatory diseases treated by radiation are among the younger ages and their child expectancy is usualy high. If the patients are few in number, but the amount of gonadal exposure is considerably high in radiation treatment, much attention should be paid to reduce the gonad dose. Another gonadal exposure in radiation treatment may be considered for the attendant, who watches an infantile patient at close quarters and takes care of it not to move during the treatment.
The gonad dose in the conventional X-ray treatment was measured upon fifty patients of benign tumors and tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis and eighteen attendants of infantile patients of malignant tumor in recent two years at the Chiba University Hospital. Total gonad dose in one session of X-ray treatments was less than about 300 mr in most cases and more than 500 mr in a few cases.
Fundamental experiments were performed concerning the gonad dose. The scattered dose inside and outside the phantom was measured on various field sizes, filtration and kilovoltages. Measurements were made on phantoms using usual commercial pocket chambers and Philips Universal Dosemeter. Several procedures are discussed reducing the gonadal exposure of the attendants of infantile patients.