Cockcroft Institute, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
UMAN, Manchester, United Kingdom
CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
Proton beam therapy has been shown to be a promising alternative to traditional radiotherapy, especially for paedi- atric malignancies and radio-resistant tumours. Allowing a highly precise tumour irradiation, it is currently limited by range verification. Several imaging modalities can be utilised for treatment planning, but typically X-ray CT is used. CT scans require conversion from Hounsfield units to estimate the proton stopping power (PSP) of the tissue be- ing treated, and this produces inaccuracy. Proton CT (pCT) measures PSP and is thought to allow an improvement of the treatment accuracy. The Christie Hospital will use a 250 MeV cyclotron for proton therapy, in this paper a pulsed linac upgrade is proposed, to provide 350 MeV protons for pCT within the facility. Space contraints require a compact, high gradient (HG) solution that is reliable and affordable.
