Monte Carlo simulation of light fluence calculation during pleural PDT.

A thorough understanding of light distribution in the desired tissue is necessary for accurate light dosimetry in PDT. Solving the problem of light dose depends, in part, on the geometry of the tissue to be treated. When considering PDT in the thoracic cavity for treatment of malignant, localized tumors such as those observed in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), changes in light dose caused by the cavity geometry should be accounted for in order to improve treatment efficacy. Cavity-like geometries demonstrate what is known as the "integrating sphere effect" where multiple light scattering off the cavity walls induces an overall increase in light dose in the cavity. We present a Monte Carlo simulation of light fluence based on a spherical and an elliptical cavity geometry with various dimensions. The tissue optical properties as well as the non-scattering medium (air and water) varies. We have also introduced small absorption inside the cavity to simulate the effect of blood absorption. We expand the MC simulation to track photons both within the cavity and in the surrounding cavity walls. Simulations are run for a variety of cavity optical properties determined using spectroscopic methods. We concluded from the MC simulation that the light fluence inside the cavity is inversely proportional to the surface area.