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
solutions adopt a simplified beam–body interaction model. An alternative is the use of Monte
Carlo simulations which explicitly take into account the interaction of charged particles with
actual human tissues hence providing highly accurate results. However, Monte Carlo simulations
are used in a restricted number of cases due to substantial computational resources required.
The code FRED has been developed to allow a fast optimization of the treatment plans in
Charged Particle Therapy while profiting from the dose release accuracy of a Monte Carlo tool.
Currently, the most refined module is the transport of proton beams in water. A comparison
with measurements shows that the lateral dose tails are reproduced within 2% in the field size
factor test up to 20 cm. Models for the interaction of ion with the matter are currently under
development in the FRED code. The status of new developments and the performance of FRED
will be presented.