Ricerc@Sapienza

Charged Particle Therapy is a non-invasive technique for radio-resistant tumor
treatment performed with protons or light ions, aiming to deliver a high precision treatment.
Compared to conventional radiotherapy, ions allow for a higher dose deposition in the tumor
region while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. To really exploit the potential benefits
of this technique, the highest possible accuracy in the calculation of dose and its spatial
distribution is required in treatment planning. Commonly used Treatment Planning Software

The high dose conformity and healthy tissue sparing achievable in Particle Therapy when using C ions calls for safety factors in treatment planning, to prevent the tumor under-dosage related to the possible occurrence of inter-fractional morphological changes during a treatment. This limitation could be overcome by a range monitor, still missing in clinical routine, capable of providing on-line feedback.

Charged particle beams are used in particle therapy (PT) to treat oncological patients due to their selective dose deposition in tissues with respect to the photons and electrons used in conventional radiotherapy. Heavy (Z > 1) PT beams can additionally be exploited for their high biological effectiveness in killing cancer cells. Nowadays, protons and carbon ions are used in PT clinical routines. Recently, interest in the potential application of helium and oxygen beams has been growing.