Recent developments in radiation therapy have been focused on applications of charged particles, especially—protons. Proton therapy can allow higher dose conformality compared to conventional radiation therapy. Dose calculations have an integral role in the successful application of proton therapy. Over the years several dose calculation methods have been proposed in proton therapy. A common ch...

The main hindrance to the diffusion of proton therapy facilities is the high cost for gantry installations. An alternative technical option is provided by fixed-beam treatment rooms, where the patient is rotated and translated in space with a robotic arm solution to enable beam incidence from various angles. The technological efforts based on robotic applications made up to now for patient posi...

Within the past few years, interest in proton therapy has significantly increased. This interest has been generated by a number of factors including: 1) the reporting of positive clinical results using proton beams; 2) approval of reimbursement for delivery of proton therapy; 3) the success of hospital-based proton therapy centers; and 4) the availability of modern, integrated proton therapy te...

Purpose: To assess the risk of a secondary malignant neoplasm (SMN) from proton therapy relative to intensitymodulated radiation therapy (IMRT) using X-rays, taking into account contributions from both primary and secondary sources of radiation, for prostate cancer. Methods andMaterials: A proton therapy plan and a 6-MV IMRT plan were constructed for 3 patients with earlystage adenocarcinoma of...

Proton therapy has struck a nerve in the national dialogue about cancer comparative effectiveness research in the United States. Unlike photon-based radiotherapy, proton therapy delivers radiation within a finite range, depositing dose in a tumor target with essentially no residual radiation beyond the tumor. Proton therapy radiation dose distributions often appear superior to photon-based trea...

Contrary to popular opinion, the concept of treating cancer using high energy beams of protons is not new. First conceived in 1946, following a period in which patients were treated only in laboratory facilities, the first hospital-based facility opened in 1990 at Loma Linda University Medical Center (United States). Currently there are 67 centres in operation, with a further 32 in the construc...

The intent of this review is to give insight in the present status and on the prospective future of proton therapy. The major point of reference is conventional therapy with photons. Traditional radiotherapy is showing nowadays a very rapid progress using advanced dynamic beam delivery techniques and sophisticated computer algorithms for treatment planning. The new fashionable concepts in medic...

Table of

Intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) implies the electromagnetic spatial control of well-circumscribed "pencil beams" of protons of variable energy and intensity. Proton pencil beams take advantage of the charged-particle Bragg peak-the characteristic peak of dose at the end of range-combined with the modulation of pencil beam variables to create target-local modulations in dose that achie...