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Amaldi, U., Bonomi, R., Braccini, S., Crescenti, M., Degiovanni, A., Garlasche, M., et al. (2010). Accelerators for hadrontherapy: From Lawrence cyclotrons to linacs. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 620(2-3), 563–577.
Abstract: Hadrontherapy with protons and carbon ions is a fast developing methodology in radiation oncology. The accelerators used and planned for this purpose are reviewed starting from the cyclotrons used in the thirties. As discussed in the first part of this paper, normal and superconducting cyclotrons are still employed, together with synchrotrons, for proton therapy while for carbon ion therapy synchrotrons have been till now the only option. The latest developments concern a superconducting cyclotron for carbon ion therapy, fast-cycling high frequency linacs and 'single room' proton therapy facilities. These issues are discussed in the second part of the paper by underlining the present challenges, in particular the treatment of moving organs.
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Roman, F. L., Abler, D., Kanellopoulos, V., Amoros, G., Davies, J., Dosanjh, M., et al. (2013). Hadron therapy information sharing prototype. J. Radiat. Res., 54, 56–60.
Abstract: The European PARTNER project developed a prototypical system for sharing hadron therapy data. This system allows doctors and patients to record and report treatment-related events during and after hadron therapy. It presents doctors and statisticians with an integrated view of adverse events across institutions, using open-source components for data federation, semantics, and analysis. There is a particular emphasis upon semantic consistency, achieved through intelligent, annotated form designs. The system as presented is ready for use in a clinical setting, and amenable to further customization. The essential contribution of the work reported here lies in the novel data integration and reporting methods, as well as the approach to software sustainability achieved through the use of community-supported open-source components.
Keywords: hadron therapy; proton therapy; data federation; web portal; eHealth; cancer informatics
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Ortega, P. G., Torres-Espallardo, I., Cerutti, F., Ferrari, A., Gillam, J. E., Lacasta, C., et al. (2015). Noise evaluation of Compton camera imaging for proton therapy. Phys. Med. Biol., 60(5), 1845–1863.
Abstract: Compton Cameras emerged as an alternative for real-time dose monitoring techniques for Particle Therapy (PT), based on the detection of prompt-gammas. As a consequence of the Compton scattering process, the gamma origin point can be restricted onto the surface of a cone (Compton cone). Through image reconstruction techniques, the distribution of the gamma emitters can be estimated, using cone-surfaces backprojections of the Compton cones through the image space, along with more sophisticated statistical methods to improve the image quality. To calculate the Compton cone required for image reconstruction, either two interactions, the last being photoelectric absorption, or three scatter interactions are needed. Because of the high energy of the photons in PT the first option might not be adequate, as the photon is not absorbed in general. However, the second option is less efficient. That is the reason to resort to spectral reconstructions, where the incoming. energy is considered as a variable in the reconstruction inverse problem. Jointly with prompt gamma, secondary neutrons and scattered photons, not strongly correlated with the dose map, can also reach the imaging detector and produce false events. These events deteriorate the image quality. Also, high intensity beams can produce particle accumulation in the camera, which lead to an increase of random coincidences, meaning events which gather measurements from different incoming particles. The noise scenario is expected to be different if double or triple events are used, and consequently, the reconstructed images can be affected differently by spurious data. The aim of the present work is to study the effect of false events in the reconstructed image, evaluating their impact in the determination of the beam particle ranges. A simulation study that includes misidentified events (neutrons and random coincidences) in the final image of a Compton Telescope for PT monitoring is presented. The complete chain of detection, from the beam particle entering a phantom to the event classification, is simulated using FLUKA. The range determination is later estimated from the reconstructed image obtained from a two and three-event algorithm based on Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization. The neutron background and random coincidences due to a therapeutic-like time structure are analyzed for mono-energetic proton beams. The time structure of the beam is included in the simulations, which will affect the rate of particles entering the detector.
Keywords: proton therapy; Compton camera; Monte Carlo methods; FLUKA; prompt gamma; range verification; MLEM
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Ros Garcia, A., Barrio, J., Etxebeste, A., Garcia-Lopez, J., Jimenez-Ramos, M. C., Lacasta, C., et al. (2020). MACACO II test-beam with high energy photons. Phys. Med. Biol., 65(24), 245027–12pp.
Abstract: The IRIS group at IFIC Valencia is developing a three-layer Compton camera for treatment monitoring in proton therapy. The system is composed of three detector planes, each made of a LaBr3<i monolithic crystal coupled to a SiPM array. Having obtained successful results with the first prototype (MACACO) that demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed technology, a second prototype (MACACO II) with improved performance has been developed, and is the subject of this work. The new system has an enhanced detector energy resolution which translates into a higher spatial resolution of the telescope. The image reconstruction method has also been improved with an accurate model of the sensitivity matrix. The device has been tested with high energy photons at the National Accelerator Centre (CNA, Seville). The tests involved a proton beam of 18 MeV impinging on a graphite target, to produce 4.4 MeV photons. Data were taken at different system positions of the telescope with the first detector at 65 and 160 mm from the target, and at different beam intensities. The measurements allowed successful reconstruction of the photon emission distribution at two target positions separated by 5 mm in different telescope configurations. This result was obtained both with data recorded in the first and second telescope planes (two interaction events) and, for the first time in beam experiments, with data recorded in the three planes (three interaction events).
Keywords: Compton imaging; Compton camera; proton therapy; LaBr3; test-beam; image reconstruction
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Briz, J. A., Nerio, A. N., Ballesteros, C., Borge, M. J. G., Martinez, P., Perea, A., et al. (2022). Proton Radiographs Using Position-Sensitive Silicon Detectors and High-Resolution Scintillators. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., 69(4), 696–702.
Abstract: Proton therapy is a cancer treatment technique currently in growth since it offers advantages with respect to conventional X-ray and gamma-ray radiotherapy. In particular, better control of the dose deposition allowing to reach higher conformity in the treatments causing less secondary effects. However, in order to take full advantage of its potential, improvements in treatment planning and dose verification are required. A new prototype of proton computed tomography scanner is proposed to design more accurate and precise treatment plans for proton therapy. Our prototype is formed by double-sided silicon strip detectors and scintillators of LaBr3(Ce) with high energy resolution and fast response. Here, the results obtained from an experiment performed using a 100-MeV proton beam are presented. Proton radiographs of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) samples of 50-mm thickness with spatial patterns in aluminum were taken. Their properties were studied, including reproduction of the dimensions, spatial resolution, and sensitivity to different materials. Structures of up to 2 mm are well resolved and the sensitivity of the system was enough to distinguish the thicknesses of 10 mm of aluminum or PMMA. The spatial resolution of the images was 0.3 line pairs per mm (MTF-10%). This constitutes the first step to validate the device as a proton radiography scanner.
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