Journal Article

DKFZ-2020-00248

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Experimental exploration of a mixed helium/carbon beam for online treatment monitoring in carbon ion beam therapy.

Volz, L. (First author)DKFZ* ; Kelleter, L. ; Brons, S. ; Burigo, L. N.DKFZ* ; Graeff, C. ; Niebuhr, N. I.DKFZ* ; Radogna, R. ; Scheloske, S. ; Schömers, C. ; Jolly, S. ; Seco, J. (Last author)DKFZ*

2020
IOP Publ. Bristol

This record in other databases:  

Please use a persistent id in citations: doi:10.1088/1361-6560/ab6e52

Abstract: Recently, it has been proposed that a mixed helium/carbon beam could be used for online monitoring in carbon ion beam therapy. Fully stripped, the two ion species exhibit approximately the same mass/charge ratio and hence could potentially be accelerated simultaneously in a synchrotron to the same energy per nucleon. At the same energy per nucleon, helium ions have about three times the range of carbon ions, which could allow for simultaneous use of the carbon ion beam for treatment and the helium ion beam for imaging. In this work, measurements and simulations of PMMA phantoms as well as anthropomorphic phantoms irradiated sequentially with a helium ion and a carbon ion beam at equal energy per nucleon are presented. The range of the primary helium ion beam and the fragment tail of the carbon ion beam exiting the phantoms were detected using a novel range telescope made of thin plastic scintillator sheets read out by a flat-panel CMOS sensor. A 10:1 carbon to helium mixing ratio is used, generating a helium signal well above the carbon fragment background while adding little to the dose delivered to the patient. The range modulation of a narrow air gap of 1 mm thickness in the PMMA phantom that affects less than a quarter of the particles in a pencil beam were detected, demonstrating the achievable relative sensitivity of the presented method. Using two anthropomorphic pelvis phantoms it is shown that small rotations of the phantom as well as simulated bowel gas movements cause detectable changes in the helium/carbon beam exiting the phantom. The future prospects and limitations of the helium-carbon mixing as well as its technical feasibility are discussed.

Note: 2020 Feb 28;65(5):055002#EA:E041#LA:E041#PhysicsWorld: TOP 10 Breakthrough of the year 2020:https://physicsworld.com/a/physics-world-announces-its-breakthrough-of-the-year-finalists-for-2020/Here is the link the Physics World review of the paper ranked Top in Medical Physics.https://physicsworld.com/a/mixed-ion-beams-could-enhance-particle-therapy-accuracy/Here is the link to the PMB paperhttps://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6560/ab6e52

---

Contributing Institute(s):

1. E041 Medizinische Physik in der Radioonkologie (E041)
2. E040 Med. Physik in der Strahlentherapie (E040)

Research Program(s):

1. 315 - Imaging and radiooncology (POF3-315) (POF3-315)

Appears in the scientific report 2020

---

Database coverage:
; BIOSIS Previews ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Life Sciences ; Ebsco Academic Search ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; National-Konsortium ; Nationallizenz ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

---