Proton Radiotherapy Accelerators

Download or read book Proton Radiotherapy Accelerators written by Wioletta Wieszczycka and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2001 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hadronic radiotherapy uses particle beams to treat tumors located near critical body structures and tumors that respond poorly to conventional photon and electron beam radiotherapy. Initial research in hadronic radiotherapy was performed using accelerators built for physics research. The good results of the proton and ion therapy programs have enhanced the tendency to use protontherapy as a routine method. There are about 20 working protontherapy facilities (first, second and third generation) and more than 30 centers are planned. This book presents the first comprehensive overview of the field with a discussion on the fundamental basis of particle physics and radiobiology, as well as review of clinical and technical specifications and designs for proton radiotherapy. In particular, the current designs of proton and heavy ion accelerators, beam delivery systems, gantries, beam monitoring and dosimetry systems, control and safety systems, patient positioning and immobilization devices, and ancillary treatment facilities are widely discussed. Contents: Physical and Radiobiological Properties of Hadrons; Status of Clinical Research in Protontherapy; Hadrontherapy Facilities World-Wide; Requirements for Hadrontherapy Centers; Protontherapy Accelerators; Beam Transport and Delivery Systems; Proton Gantries; Radiation Detectors; Treatment Ancillary Facilities; Control System of the Protontherapy Center; Shielding for Proton Facility; Global Costs and Financial Analysis of the Activities of the Proton Center; Proposal of a Dedicated Protontherapy Facility. Readership: Engineers, medical physicists and physicians involved in the design and construction of radiotherapy accelerators, undergraduate and graduate students in high energy accelerator and biomedical physics, radiotherapists.