Comment on "Biological modeling of gold nanoparticle enhanced radiotherapy for proton therapy" by Lin et al. [Phys. Med. Biol. 60 (2015) 4149-4168]

TL;DR

This paper critiques a previous study on gold nanoparticles enhancing radiotherapy, highlighting methodological issues that could affect the interpretation of their results.

Contribution

It identifies key caveats in the methodology of Lin et al.'s study, emphasizing the importance of realistic gold mass fractions and model accuracy.

Findings

High gold mass fractions may overestimate effects.

Potential inaccuracies in the local effect model.

Need for careful interpretation of simulation results.

Abstract

In their article published in Phys. Med. Biol. 60 (2015) 4149-4168, Lin et al studied the radiosensitizing effect of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) using radiation transport simulations and a biological model for the survival of irradiated cells. This comment points out several caveats to the methodlogy used by Lin et al. that may not be evident to readers and may contribute to confusion in the literature about the radiation effects of gold nanoparticles. The two main caveats are the high mass fraction of gold considered and a potential problem with the modified local effect model used to predict cell survival.