Author: Jolly, S.
Paper Title Page
THXC02
Enhancing Particle Beam Therapy Through the Use of Mixed Ion Beams  
 
  • S. Jolly
    UCL, London, United Kingdom
 
  Particle beam therapy treatment with protons and light ions provides significant improvements over conventional X-ray radiotherapy due to the Bragg peak. However, the improved dose conformity of particle therapy requires a corresponding improvement in the accuracy of dose delivery to prevent underdosing of the tumour and overdosing of the surrounding healthy tissue. In vivo measurements of dose delivery have proved challenging: real-time systems for measuring delivered dose have yet to be realised. One possibility for ion therapy systems is through Helium-Carbon mixing. By diluting the Carbon treatment beam with a small quantity of Helium ions and accelerating to the same energy per nucleon, a diagnostic signal can be obtained: with a negligible increase to the delivered dose, the Helium beam exits the patient, providing diagnostic information on the tissue being treated and thereby providing real-time information on the position and range accuracy of the delivered dose. This talk describes the background to ion beam therapy and gives insight into experiments carried out to realise clinical Helium-Carbon mixing. The challenges for future systems are also discussed.  
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