MedWorm: Proton Therapy

Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Benefits Overblown?Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Benefits Overblown?

Medscape Today Headlines — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:18:43 +0100

A society for radiation oncologists touts new studies on the benefits of proton radiation therapy in prostate cancer, but is the evidence really solid? Dr. Gerald Chodak discusses the issue. Medscape Urology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Beyond Gaussians: a study of single-spot modeling for scanning proton dose calculation.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:36:34 +0100

In this study, we developed a pencil beam algorithm for scanning proton dose calculation by focusing on properly modeling individual scanning spots. All modeling parameters required by the pencil beam algorithm can be generated based solely on a few sets of measured data. We demonstrated that low-dose halos in single-spot profiles in the medium could be adequately modeled with the addition of a modified Cauchy-Lorentz distribution function to a double-Gaussian function. The field size effects were accurately computed at all depths and field sizes for all energies, and good dose accuracy was also achieved for patient dose verification. The implementation of the proposed pencil beam algorithm also enabled us to study the importance of different modeling components and parameters at various b...

Study questions proton therapy for prostate cancer

USATODAY.com Health — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:17:21 +0100

Research suggests proton therapy for men with prostate cancer might have more side effects than traditional radiation does. (Source: USATODAY.com Health)

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2012-02-01/Study-questions-proton-therapy-for-prostate-cancer/52912536/1

USATODAY.com Health — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:17:21 +0100

?csp=34news (Source: USATODAY.com Health)

Varian Medical Systems Books $77 Million Order to Equip Proton Treatment Center in Saudi Arabia

HSMN NewsFeed — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:49:58 +0100

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 26, 2012 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR ) today announced it has booked a $77 million order with Saudi Particle Therapy Centre LLC to equip a new proton therapy facility at the King Fahd Medical Center in Riy... Devices, OncologyVarian Medical Systems, TrueBeam, radiotherapy, ProBeam, proton therapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Proton Therapy With Concurrent Chemotherapy for Non-small-cell Lung Cancer: Technique and Early Results.

Clinical Lung Cancer — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Mediastinal proton therapy with concomitant chemotherapy was associated with acceptable toxicity. Although encouraging, longer follow-up with more patients is needed to confirm the long-term efficacy of this treatment. PMID: 22264659 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Clinical Lung Cancer)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Proton therapy safe, efficacious for treating prostate Ca

Modern Medicine — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:35:50 +0100

Proton therapy is a safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer, two separate studies indicate. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Erectile function, incontinence, and other quality of life outcomes following proton therapy for prostate cancer in men 60 years old and younger

Cancer — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS:Young men undergoing proton therapy for treatment of prostate cancer have excellent outcomes with respect to erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and other health‐related quality of life parameters during the first 2 years after treatment. Longer follow‐up is needed to confirm these findings. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society. (Source: Cancer)

Simulation and dosimetric analysis of proton and carbon ion therapy in the treatment of uveal melanoma

Radiologia Brasileira — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:42:51 +0100

CONCLUSION: The described benefits together with the presented results contribute to the development of clinical applications and researches on carbon ion and proton therapy. (Source: Radiologia Brasileira)

An experimental investigation into the effect of periodic motion on proton dosimetry using polymer gel dosimeters and a programmable motion platform.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Su Z, Lopatiuk-Tirpak O, Zeidan O, Sruprisan SI, Meeks SL, Slopsema R, Flampouri S, Li Z Abstract Organ motion in proton therapy affects treatment dose distribution during both double-scattering (DS) and uniform-scanning (US) deliveries. We investigated the dosimetric impact of target motion using three-dimensional polymer gel dosimeters and a programmable motion platform. A simple one-beam treatment plan with 16 cm range and 6 cm modulation was generated from the treatment planning system (TPS) in both the DS and US modes. One gel dosimeter was irradiated with a stationary DS beam. Two other gel dosimeters were irradiated with the DS and US beams while they moved in the same sinusoidal motion profile using a programmable motion platform. The dose distribution of the sta...

Proton therapy effective for prostate cancer treatment

AuntMinnie.com Headlines — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0100

Early outcomes of men treated with proton therapy for prostate cancer suggest (more) (Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

PET therapy effective for prostate cancer

Health News - UPI.com — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:11:10 +0100

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers suggest proton therapy -- a type of external beam radiation -- is effective for localized prostate cancer with minimal side effects. (Source: Health News - UPI.com)

Proton Therapy Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment

Health News from Medical News Today — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:00:00 +0100

Proton therapy, a type of external beam radiation therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer, according to two new studies published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology.Biology.Physics (Red Journal), the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) official scientific journal. In the first study, researchers at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., prospectively studied 211 men with low-, intermediate-, and high-risk prostate cancer... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Studies: Proton therapy effective treatment for prostate cancer

Health Imaging News — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:56:58 +0100

Two studies published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics demonstrated the effectiveness of proton therapy in treating prostate cancer. One study revealed the therapy’s effectiveness while limiting side effects, the other showed that external beam therapy can achieve results comparable to brachytherapy. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Proton therapy effective prostate cancer treatment, study suggests

ScienceDaily Headlines — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:42:42 +0100

Proton therapy, a type of external beam radiation therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer, according to two new studies. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Proton therapy effective prostate cancer treatment

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100

(American Society for Radiation Oncology) Proton therapy, a type of external beam radiation therapy, is a safe and effective treatment for prostate cancer, according to two new studies published in the January issue of the International Journal of Radiation OncologyBiologyPhysics, the American Society for Radiation Oncology's official scientific journal. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

IBA nets proton therapy contract in Tennessee

Health Imaging News — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:08:26 +0100

Provision Healthcare has signed an agreement with Ion Beam Applications (IBA) for the purchase, installation and maintenance of a new proton therapy system at Tennessee’s first proton beam cancer center, located in Knoxville. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Fiducial markers in prostate for kV imaging: quantification of visibility and optimization of imaging conditions.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:50:52 +0100

Authors: Chen Y, J O'Connell J, Ko CJ, Mayer RR, Belard A, McDonough JE Abstract The purpose of this work is to investigate possible smaller, less-dense fiducial markers implantable into the prostate for target localization and patient repositioning verification in an on-board kV-kV imaging system on a proton gantry. The experiments used a pelvic phantom and a variety of commercially available fiducial markers: CIVCO carbon marker of ϕ; 1 × 3 mm, gold seed markers of ϕ; 0.8 × 3 mm and ϕ; 1.2 × 3 mm, and IBA Visicoil helical gold linear markers in diameters of 0.35, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.15 mm. Two orthogonal on-board kV imagers were arranged for digital radiographic imaging of the phantom through the lateral and anterior-posterior directions. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR...

When Wait for More Evidence? Real Options Analysis in Proton Therapy.

The Oncologist — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusion. We have shown that real options analysis provides a transparent method of weighing the costs and benefits of adopting and/or further researching new and expensive technologies. PMID: 22147003 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Oncologist)

Dosimetric Comparison of Combined Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Proton Therapy Versus IMRT Alone for Pelvic and Para-Aortic Radiotherapy in Gynecologic Malignancies

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Compared with IMRT alone, PSPT/IMRT and IMPT/IMRT had a statistically significant decrease in dose to the small and large bowel and kidneys, while maintaining excellent planning target volume coverage. Further studies should be done to correlate the clinical significance of these findings. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Real-time prompt gamma monitoring in spot-scanning proton therapy using imaging through a knife-edge-shaped slit.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Authors: Bom V, Joulaeizadeh L, Beekman F Abstract In this paper we report on Monte Carlo simulations to investigate real-time monitoring of the track depth profile in particle therapy by measuring prompt gamma ray emissions: a high sensitivity imaging system employing a knife-edge-shaped slit combined with a position-sensitive gamma detector was evaluated. Calculations to test this new concept were performed for a head-sized software phantom. Clear spatial correlation is shown between the distribution of gamma rays detected with energies above 1.5 MeV and the distribution of prompt gamma rays emitted from the phantom. The number of neutrons originating from nuclear reactions in the phantom that are detected at these high energies is small. Most importantly it is shown that under c...

In-gantry or remote patient positioning? Monte Carlo simulations for proton therapy centers of different sizes.

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The advantage of RP vs. IP strongly depends on ICS and the speed of the transporters. For RP to be advantageous, reduced transport times are required. The advantage of RP decreases with increasing number of gantries. PMID: 22119372 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology)

Comparison of different adjuvant radiotherapy approaches in childhood bladder/prostate rhabdomyosarcoma treated with conservative surgery

Strahlentherapie und Onkologie — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:57:31 +0100

Conclusion All modalities provide good sparing of normal tissue. BT and IMPT are superior to IMRT with regard to doses on rectum and growth plates. BT is equivalent to IMPT in adequately selected tumors. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00066-011-2261-3Authors Frank Heinzelmann, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyDaniela Thorwarth, Department of Radiation Oncology/Medical Physics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyUlf Lamprecht, Department of Radiation Oncology/Medical Physics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyTheodor W. Kaulich, Department of Radiation Oncology/Medical Physics, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, GermanyJörg Fuchs, Department of Pediatric Surgery,...

Elevated LET components in clinical proton beams.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 10:45:53 +0100

Authors: Grassberger C, Paganetti H Abstract This paper assesses the contribution of secondary particles to pencil and passively scattered proton beams, in particular when considering the dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LET(d)) in biological treatment planning. Proton Monte Carlo simulations are performed in water phantoms and for two patients, considering all primary and secondary particles, including recoils from inelastic nuclear interactions. Our results show that secondary protons exhibit LET(d) values up to a factor 10 higher than those of the primary protons at the same depth. Thus, secondary protons have a significant impact on the LET(d). Their contribution increases the LET(d) by ∼50% along the central axis and even >200% in the penumbra. Furthermore, the LET m...

[Which components should living guidelines contain?]

Der Urologe. Ausg. A — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Weißbach L Abstract BACKGROUND: Due to rapidly developing knowledge guidelines should be regularly, i.e. annually, checked for validity and amended. METHODS: Exemplified by the S3 guidelines on prostate cancer a contradiction between the need for updating and financial resources can be seen. Because the participating experts have only limited availability, the hurdles in the application procedure linked to bureaucracy should at least be dropped. RESULTS: In the living guidelines on prostate cancer key questions on 13 updating and 5 primary points in question have been formulated and resolved. Examples of updating are imaging, active surveillance and high-intensity focused ultrasound and for primary p...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

IBA nets single-room proton therapy install in Louisiana

Health Imaging News — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 07:37:22 +0100

The first U.S. installation of a newly designed, single-room Proton Therapy technology from IBA (Ion Beam Applications) will be at a proton facility being developed by Willis-Knighton Cancer Center in Shreveport, La. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Varian Medical Systems Books $88 Million Order to Equip Proton Treatment Center

HSMN NewsFeed — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:37:22 +0100

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 3, 2011 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR ) today announced it has booked an $88 million order to provide its ProBeam system for the Scripps Proton Therapy Center being developed in San Diego through collaboratio... Devices, OncologyVarian Medical Systems, ProBeam system, Proton Therapy, particle therapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Proton Beam Therapy in Skull Base Pathology

Otolaryngologic clinics of North America — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

The optimal treatment of chordomas is maximal safe resection followed by radiation therapy. Data have shown that the use of protons has increased the local control of chordomas. Because of their physical properties, proton therapy has a sharp decline at its distal range, thereby minimizing collateral damage. However, this choice of radiation therapy has been limited based on the availability of resources. Given the high cost of proton facilities and improved techniques for other forms of radiation therapy, this article evaluates whether proton therapy is still superior to other radiation techniques in the treatment of chordomas. (Source: Otolaryngologic clinics of North America)

Development of activity pencil beam algorithm using measured distribution data of positron emitter nuclei generated by proton irradiation of targets containing (12)C, (16)O, and (40)Ca nuclei in preparation of clinical application.

Medical Physics — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The simulation of imaging of the proton-irradiated volume in a patient body using target nuclear fragment reactions was feasible with the developed APB algorithm taking time dependence into account. With the use of the APB algorithm, it was suggested that a system of simulation of activity distributions that has levels of both accuracy and calculation time appropriate for clinical use can be constructed. PMID: 21992396 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Medical Physics)

Proton therapy. Radiation medicine rounds.

Medical Physics — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Authors: Thomas CR, Metz JM, Schreuder N PMID: 21992355 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Medical Physics)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Study: Proton therapy preserves vision for patients with eye tumors

Health Imaging News — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 08:47:37 +0100

Proton irradiation can preserve some vision and prevent eye removal in patients with tumors adjacent to the optic disc, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in Archives of Ophthalmology. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Proton Irradiation for Peripapillary and Parapapillary Melanomas [Clinical Sciences]

Archives of Opthalmology — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Proton irradiation should be considered for treating patients with tumors contiguous to the optic disc. Although visual acuity is compromised, some preservation is possible (counting fingers or better in many patients). Eye conservation is likely, with low rates of tumor recurrence and no increased risk of metastasis. (Source: Archives of Opthalmology)

Cancer Center Nears in N.J.

WSJ.com: Health — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:11:21 +0100

Manhattan-based Tessler Developments says it is near a deal with Jersey City officials to build a proton therapy center on a roughly 2.5-acre parcel. The plans would also include commercial space and about 1,000 market-rate apartments, some earmarked for those undergoing treatment. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

Chordomas of the skull base and cervical spine: clinical outcomes associated with a multimodal surgical resection combined with proton-beam radiation in 40 patients

Urosurgical Review — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:52:07 +0100

Abstract Previous studies of chordoma have focused on either surgery, radiotherapy, or particular tumor locations. This paper reviewed the outcomes of surgery and proton radiotherapy with various tumor locations. Between 2001 and 2008, 40 patients with chordomas of the skull base and cervical spine had surgery at our hospital. Most patients received proton therapy. Their clinical course was reviewed. Age, sex, tumor location, timing of surgery, extent of resection, and chondroid appearance were evaluated in regard to the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The primary surgery (PS) group was analyzed independently. The extensive resection rate was 42.5%. Permanent neurological morbidity was seen in 3.8%. Radiotherapy was performed in 75% and the mean ...

Maximum kinetic energy considerations in proton stereotactic radiosurgery.

Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:44:13 +0100

Authors: Sengbusch ER, Mackie TR Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the maximum proton kinetic energy required to treat a given percentage of patients eligible for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with coplanar arc-based proton therapy, contingent upon the number and location of gantry angles used. Treatment plans from 100 consecutive patients treated with SRS at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center between June of 2007 and March of 2010 were analyzed. For each target volume within each patient, in-house software was used to place proton pencil beam spots over the distal surface of the target volume from 51 equally-spaced gantry angles of up to 360°. For each beam spot, the radiological path length from the surface of the patient to the distal boundary...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Proton Radiotherapy for Pediatric Ewing’s Sarcoma: Initial Clinical Outcomes

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Proton radiotherapy was well tolerated, with few adverse events. Longer follow-up is needed to more fully assess tumor control and late effects, but the preliminary results are encouraging. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

My favourite particle - the proton

Guardian Unlimited Science — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:30:01 +0100

But for a very different reason. Protons have the potential to kill off cancers that other treatments cannot reachIn the day to day life of a particle physicist, we deal with a huge variety of sub-atomic particles with a huge variety of properties, features and uses. In the recent blogs by my colleagues Lily, Jon, Mark and Jim, they have described their favourite particles. So here is mine, but with a slightly different slant.The famous proton is the particle we choose to accelerate at the Large Hadron Collider because it is heavy and so less inclined than lighter particles (like the electron) to emit as particles of light the energy we painstaking squeeze into it. Colliding protons with protons means the fundamental collisions between the quarks are less precise (or, in other words, we do...

Extension and validation of an analytical model for in vivo PET verification of proton therapy-a phantom and clinical study.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:14:14 +0100

Authors: Attanasi F, Knopf A, Parodi K, Paganetti H, Bortfeld T, Rosso V, Guerra AD The interest in positron emission tomography (PET) as a tool for treatment verification in proton therapy has become widespread in recent years, and several research groups worldwide are currently investigating the clinical implementation. After the first off-line investigation with a PET/CT scanner at MGH (Boston, USA), attention is now focused on an in-room PET application immediately after treatment in order to also detect shorter-lived isotopes, such as O(15) and N(13), minimizing isotope washout and avoiding patient repositioning errors. Clinical trials are being conducted by means of commercially available PET systems, and other tests are planned using application-dedicated tomographs. Parallel to...

A Monte Carlo pencil beam scanning model for proton treatment plan simulation using GATE/GEANT4.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 03:48:58 +0100

In conclusion, the generic modeling method proposed for scanned ion beam delivery systems was applicable to an IBA proton therapy system. The key advantage of the method is that it only requires BDL measurements of the system. The validation tests performed so far demonstrated that the beam model achieves clinical performance, paving the way for further studies toward TPS benchmarking. The method involves new sources that are available in the new Gate release V6.1 and could be further applied to other particle therapy systems delivering protons or other types of ions like carbon. PMID: 21791731 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology)

Proton Therapy: A New Way to Deliver RadiotherapyProton Therapy: A New Way to Deliver Radiotherapy

Medscape Today Headlines — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 14:11:19 +0100

Proton therapy is a way to more precisely deliver radiation therapy. What are the implications for children with cancer? CHOP Expert Commentary (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Proton therapy for head and neck cancer: Rationale, potential indications, practical considerations, and current clinical evidence.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:03:01 +0100

Authors: Mendenhall NP, Malyapa RS, Su Z, Yeung D, Mendenhall WM, Li Z Abstract There is a strong rationale for potential benefits from proton therapy (PT) for selected cancers of the head and neck because of the opportunity to improve the therapeutic ratio by improving radiation dose distributions and because of the significant differences in radiation dose distribution achievable with x-ray-based radiation therapy (RT) and PT. Comparisons of dose distributions between x-ray-based and PT plans in selected cases show specific benefits in dose distribution likely to translate into improved clinical outcomes. However, the use of PT in head and neck cancers requires special considerations in the simulation and treatment planning process, and currently available PT technology may not permi...

Estimated radiation pneumonitis risk after photon versus proton therapy alone or combined with chemotherapy for lung cancer.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:02:58 +0100

Conclusions. The low dose bath from highly conformal photon techniques may become relevant for lung toxicity when radiation is combined with cytotoxic chemotherapy as shown here. Proton therapy allows highly conformal delivery while minimizing the low dose bath potentially interacting with chemotherapy. Thus, intensive drug-radiation combinations could be an interesting indication for selecting patients for proton therapy. It is likely that the IMRT plans would perform better if the CERD was accounted for during optimization, but more clinical data is required to facilitate evidence-based plan optimization in the multi-modality setting. PMID: 21767173 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Acta Oncologica)

Photon and proton therapy planning comparison for malignant glioma based on CT, FDG-PET, DTI-MRI and fiber tracking.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:02:53 +0100

Conclusion. The IMPT technique produced the most conform plans. For tumors located in the one of the cerebral hemispheres, the non-coplanar RA and the IMPT techniques were able to reduce doses to the contralateral hippocampus. The IMPT technique offered the largest sparing of the brain and fiber tracts. RA techniques tended to produce more conform target doses than IMRT. PMID: 21767174 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Acta Oncologica)

Radiobiological risk estimates of adverse events and secondary cancer for proton and photon radiation therapy of pediatric medulloblastoma.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:02:36 +0100

Conclusions. When comparing RA and 3D CRT treatment for pediatric MB it is a matter of comparing higher SC risk against higher risks of non-cancer adverse events. Considering time until onset of the different complications is necessary to fully assess patient benefit in such a comparison. The IMPT plans, including SN dose contribution, compared favorably to the photon techniques in terms of all radiobiological risk estimates. PMID: 21767178 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Acta Oncologica)

Normal liver tissue sparing by intensity-modulated proton stereotactic body radiotherapy for solitary liver tumours.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:02:24 +0100

Conclusion. A considerable sparing of normal liver tissue can be obtained using proton-based SBRT for solitary liver tumours. PMID: 21767180 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Acta Oncologica)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Emerging technologies in proton therapy.

Acta Oncologica — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:02:11 +0100

Authors: Schippers JM, Lomax AJ Abstract An increasing number of proton therapy facilities are being planned and built at hospital based centers. Most facilities are employing traditional dose delivery methods. A second generation of dose application techniques, based on pencil beam scanning, is slowly being introduced into the commercially available proton therapy systems. New developments in accelerator physics are needed to accommodate and fully exploit these new techniques. At the same time new developments such as the development of small cyclotrons, Dielectric Wall Accelerator (DWA) and laser driven systems, aim for smaller, single room treatment units. In general the benefits of proton therapy could be exploited optimally when achieving a higher level in accuracy, beam energy, b...

A robust algorithm of intensity modulated proton therapy for critical tissue sparing and target coverage.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:03:30 +0100

In this study, the latter objective was achieved by a novel algorithm in which we suppressed pencil beams with high risk to deliver undesired doses to organs at risk under conditions where range and setup uncertainties occur. We defined the risk index that quantifies the likelihood of each pencil beam delivering high doses to organs at risk, and introduced it into the objective function of dose optimizations. In order to test the algorithm's performance, this method was applied to an RTOG benchmark phantom geometry and to a cervical chordoma case. These simulations demonstrated that our method provides IMPT plans that are more robust against range and setup errors compared to conventional IMPT plans. Compared to the conventional IMPT plan, the optimization time for the robust plan increase...

Introducing an on-line adaptive procedure for prostate image guided intensity modulate proton therapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:02:10 +0100

In conclusion, based on this 2D phantom study, by updating the proton pencil beam energy from the on-line image after realignment, this on-line adaptive procedure is necessary and effective for the DET-based IG-IMPT. Without dose re-calculation and re-optimization, it could be easily incorporated into the clinical workflow. PMID: 21772078 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology)

Spatial resolution of proton tomography: methods, initial phase space and object thickness.

Zeitschrift fur Medizinische Physik — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Clinically sufficient spatial resolution can be either achieved with a full measurement of entrance and exit coordinates and angles, but also by using a fan beam with small angular confusion and an exit angle measurement. It is necessary to use the most probable proton path for image reconstruction. A simple straight line connection is in general not sufficient. Increasing proton energy improves spatial resolution of an object of constant size. This should be considered in the design of proton therapy facilities. PMID: 21782400 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Zeitschrift fur Medizinische Physik)

[Helical tomotherapy for axial and paraspinal tumours: Experience of Institut Bergonié (14 cases).]

Cancer Radiotherapie — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Results from this preliminary series are encouraging, particularly concerning the good tolerance of this new intensity-modulated radiotherapy presently more available than proton therapy. PMID: 21741287 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cancer Radiotherapie)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Local Healthcare Organizations in Talks to Bring Proton Therapy to Region

McKesson News — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0100

New Proton Therapy Center Would be First in North Texas (Source: McKesson News)

Treatment of Neovascular Glaucoma after Proton Therapy for Uveal Melanomas with Ranibizumab Injection: Preliminary Results

Ophthalmic Research — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Ophthalmic Res 2012;47:57–60 (DOI:10.1159/000328633) (Source: Ophthalmic Research)

Prioritized optimization in intensity modulated proton therapy.

Zeitschrift fur Medizinische Physik — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Authors: Falkinger M, Schell S, Müller J, Wilkens JJ In this work a prioritized optimization algorithm is adapted and applied to treatment planning for intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT). Originally, this algorithm was developed for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with photons. Prioritized optimization converts the clinical hierarchy of treatment goals into an effective optimization scheme for treatment planning. It presents an alternative to conventional methods that combine all optimization goals into a single optimization run with a weighted sum of all planning aims in the objective function. The highest order goal in the first step is to achieve a homogeneous dose distribution of the prescribed dose in the tumour. In subsequent steps the dose to organs at risk ...

Using a Reduced Spot Size for Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy Potentially Improves Salivary Gland-Sparing in Oropharyngeal Cancer

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: rsIMPT improved sparing of the salivary glands and reduced NTCP for xerostomia and parotid and submandibular salivary dysfunction, while maintaining similar target coverage results. It is expected that rsIMPT improves quality of life during and after radiotherapy treatment. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

A Beam-Specific Planning Target Volume (PTV) Design for Proton Therapy to Account for Setup and Range Uncertainties

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The conventional geometry-based PTV concept used in photon therapy does not work well for proton therapy. We investigated and validated a beam-specific PTV method for designing and evaluating proton plans. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis: Improved treatment outcomes with external beam radiation therapy

Hepatology Research — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

The treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is very challenging because of HCC's grave prognosis. Despite many efforts to improve the treatment results, patient survival has been limited to several months. In this situation, radiotherapy has been considered as an alternative treatment modality because of the growth of knowledge about the radiotolerance of normal tissue and the advances of radiotherapy techniques such as three dimensional conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, stereotactic body radiotherapy and proton therapy. More restoration of the liver function and longer survival of the patients can be achieved by the better response after radiotherapy. However, considering the high risk of intrahepatic...

Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Cancer Network — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100

PT is a promising treatment option for prostate cancer patients. Studies have already demonstrated extremely low rates of grade > 3 GU and GI toxicities and extremely high disease control, presumably related to improved radiation dose distributions over what can be achieved with IMRT. (Source: Cancer Network)

Comparison of intensity-modulated radiotherapy, adaptive radiotherapy, proton radiotherapy, and adaptive proton radiotherapy for treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer

Radiotherapy and Oncology — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Background and purpose: Various radiotherapy planning methods for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) have been proposed to decrease normal tissue toxicity. We compare IMRT, adaptive IMRT, proton therapy (IMPT), and adaptive IMPT for SCCHN.Materials and methods: Initial and re-simulation CT images from 10 consecutive patients with SCCHN were used to quantify dosimetric differences between photon and proton therapy. Contouring was performed on both CTs, and plans (n=40 plans) and dose–volume histograms were generated.Results: The mean GTV volume decreased 53.4% with re-simulation. All plans provided comparable PTV coverage. Compared with IMRT, adaptive IMRT significantly reduced the maximum dose to the mandible (p=0.020) and mean doses to the co...

Thyrolingual trunk arising from the common carotid artery identified by three-dimensional computed tomography angiography

Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:45:48 +0100

Abstract It is well-known that the branches of the external carotid artery (ECA) can show anatomical variation, but it is extremely rare that thyrolingual trunk originates from common carotid artery (CCA). Here we report a case of the thyrolingual trunk arising from the CCA on the right side in a 73-year-old female as revealed by three-dimensional computed tomography angiography for vascular mapping of the carotid vessels before head and neck microsurgical reconstruction. The thyrolingual trunk arose from the anterior surface of the right CCA, with an origin 14.5 mm (difference between the carotid bifurcation and upper border of the origin 12.7 mm) below the carotid bifurcation. The inner diameter of origin of the thyrolingual trunk was 3.5 mm, and the angle between the th...

Comparison of intensity-modulated radiotherapy, adaptive radiotherapy, proton radiotherapy, and adaptive proton radiotherapy for treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Although adaptive IMRT reduced dose to several normal structures compared with standard IMRT, non-adaptive proton therapy had a more favorable dosimetric profile than IMRT or adaptive IMRT and may obviate the need for adaptive planning. Protons allowed significant sparing of the spinal cord, parotid glands, larynx, and brainstem and should be considered for SCCHN to decrease normal tissue toxicity while still providing optimal tumor coverage. PMID: 21663988 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Displacement of hepatic tumor at time to exposure in end-expiratory-triggered-pulse proton therapy

Radiotherapy and Oncology — Thu, 26 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: It was indicated that localization of the targets was more reproducibility in end-expiration than that in end-inspiration. Also, feasible and practical margin values were obtained. These should contribute accuracy of respiration synchronized proton radiotherapy for liver tumors. (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology)

Displacement of hepatic tumor at time to exposure in end-expiratory-triggered-pulse proton therapy.

Tue, 24 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: It was indicated that localization of the targets was more reproducibility in end-expiration than that in end-inspiration. Also, feasible and practical margin values were obtained. These should contribute accuracy of respiration synchronized proton radiotherapy for liver tumors. PMID: 21620501 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology)

Ohio hospital to build proton therapy center

AuntMinnie.com Headlines — Fri, 20 May 2011 16:56:27 +0100

University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland has announced plans (more) (Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines)

Proton therapy center planned for Cleveland's University Hospitals

bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:45:34 +0100

(Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Physician Practices headlines)

On the Benefits and Risks of Proton Therapy in Pediatric Craniopharyngioma

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Thu, 12 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Compared with photon IMRT, proton therapy has the potential to significantly reduce whole-brain and -body irradiation in pediatric patients with craniopharyngioma. IMPT is the most conformal method and spares the most normal tissue; however, it is highly sensitive to target volume changes, whereas the DSP method is not. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Proton Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer Is Not Associated With Post-Treatment Testosterone Suppression

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Thu, 12 May 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Conformal proton therapy to the prostate, as delivered using the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute PR01 and PR02 protocols, did not appear to significantly affect the serum testosterone levels within 24 months after RT. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Internationally Renowned Radiation Oncologist and Proton Therapy Researcher Joins ProCure Treatment Centers

HSMN NewsFeed — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:18:06 +0100

Eugen B. Hug, M.D., named Chief Medical Officer BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- An internationally recognized radiation oncologist with nearly 20 years experience as a clinician, researcher, academic and author in proton the... Devices, Oncology, PersonnelProCure Treatment Centers, proton therapy, proton beam, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

IBA, Elekta ink proton therapy center partnership

Health Imaging News — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:07:23 +0100

Elekta will integrate cancer workflow and patient management tools into the Proteus TK2, a proton therapy center from Belgium-based Ion Beam Applications (IBA). (Source: Health Imaging News)

Hitachi Accepts an Order for Two New Proton Beam Therapy Systems in the U.S.

HSMN NewsFeed — Tue, 10 May 2011 01:35:56 +0100

TOKYO--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501.to ) today announced that it has entered into an agreement to provide Mayo Clinic with its proton beam therapy (PBT) system. This next-generation technology has spot scanning capabilit... Devices, OncologyHitachi, proton beam therapy, proton therapy, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Discrete event simulation of a proton therapy facility: A case study

Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine — Mon, 09 May 2011 23:50:41 +0100

Abstract: Proton therapy is a type of particle therapy which utilizes a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue. The main difference with respect to conventional radiotherapy (X-rays, γ-rays) is the capability to target tumors with extreme precision, which makes it possible to treat deep-seated tumors and tumors affecting noble tissues as brain, eyes, etc. However, proton therapy needs high-energy cyclotrons and this requires sophisticated control-supervision schema to guarantee, further than the prescribed performance, the safety of the patients and of the operators. In this paper we present the modeling and simulation of the irradiation process of the PROSCAN facility at the Paul Scherrer Institut. This is a challenging task because of the complexity of the operation scenario, whic...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

IBA Cooperates with Philips to Create Patient-Centric Proton Therapy Centers

HSMN NewsFeed — Mon, 09 May 2011 22:52:17 +0100

LONDON & PHILADELPHIA--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- IBA Group, a leader in advanced cancer diagnosis and therapy technologies and Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG ), today announced they have entered into an agreement to create state of the ... Devices, Oncology IBA , Royal Philips Electronics, proton therapy, proton beam, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

IBA, Philips to develop proton therapy centers

Health Imaging News — Mon, 09 May 2011 05:21:46 +0100

IBA Group, which develops cancer diagnosis and therapy technologies, and Royal Philips Electronics have entered into an agreement to create patient-centric proton therapy centers. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Varian Medical Systems Spotlights Fully Integrated Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy at PTCOG 2011 Meeting

HSMN NewsFeed — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:52:59 +0100

ProBeam system with Eclipse treatment planning focus of Varian booth (No.30) at 50th particle therapy show in Philadelphia PHILADELPHIA, May 6, 2011 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR ) is highlighting its ProBeam proton therapy syst... Devices, OncologyVarian Medical Systems, ProBeam, proton therapy, particle therapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Oklahoma City Is Quickly Becoming The Medical Tourism Destination For Oncology Treatment

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:00:00 +0100

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that Oklahoma City is quickly becoming the medical tourism destination for oncology care in the United States. According to the recent Oklahoma City Market Overview, health systems in Oklahoma City are offering proton therapy treatments that are only available in a handful of locations nationwide, and the focus on this specialty radiation treatment in this area will generate additional research funding... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Uncertainties and correction methods when modeling passive scattering proton therapy treatment heads with Monte Carlo.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:48:31 +0100

Authors: Bednarz B, Lu HM, Engelsman M, Paganetti H Nowadays, Monte Carlo models of proton therapy treatment heads are being used to improve beam delivery systems and to calculate the radiation field for patient dose calculations. The achievable accuracy of the model depends on the exact knowledge of the treatment head geometry and time structure, the material characteristics, and the underlying physics. This work aimed at studying the uncertainties in treatment head simulations for passive scattering proton therapy. The sensitivities of spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) dose distributions on material densities, mean ionization potentials, initial proton beam energy spread and spot size were investigated. An improved understanding of the nature of these parameters may help to improve agreem...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Material efficiency studies for a Compton camera designed to measure characteristic prompt gamma rays emitted during proton beam radiotherapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

In this study we optimize the materials and geometry of a three-stage Compton camera for prompt gamma detection and calculate the theoretical efficiency of such a detector. The materials evaluated in this study include germanium, bismuth germanate (BGO), NaI, xenon, silicon and lanthanum bromide (LaBr(3)). For each material, the dimensions of each detector stage were optimized to produce the maximum number of relevant interactions. These results were used to predict the efficiency of various multi-material cameras. The theoretical detection efficiencies of the most promising multi-material cameras were then calculated for the photons emitted from a tissue-equivalent phantom irradiated by therapeutic proton beams ranging from 50 to 250 MeV. The optimized detector stages had a lateral extent...

Medical Treatment of Mesothelioma: Anything New?

Current Oncology Reports — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 07:20:09 +0100

Abstract In the present report, we review the current standard and investigational treatments of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Several studies have reported the use of gemcitabine and cisplatin as an induction chemotherapy in combination with extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) and thoracic radiation in a combined-modality approach for resectable MPM. Since the combination of cisplatin with pemetrexed was applied as the standard first-line regimen for unresectable MPM, the combination as an induction chemotherapy regimen has been proven effective in phase 2 trials. In addition, intensity-modulated radiation therapy and proton therapy have been introduced as new radiation methods into the combined modality. Hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy following EPP appears...

Spot-Scanning-Based Proton Therapy for Extracranial Chordoma

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Spot-scanning-based PT at PSI delivered subsequently to function-preserving surgery for tumor debulking, decompression of spinal cord, or biopsy only is safe and highly effective in patients with ECC without major surgical instrumentation even in view of large, unresectable disease. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Improving Proton Therapy Accessibility Through Seamless Electronic Integration of Remote Treatment Planning Sites

Telemedicine and e-Health — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:01:17 +0100

Telemedicine and e-Health , Vol. 0, No. 0. (Source: Telemedicine and e-Health)

Clinical results and risk factors of proton and carbon ion therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Cancer — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS:Proton and carbon ion therapies for HCC were comparable in terms of local control and overall survival rates. These therapies may represent innovative alternatives to conventional local therapies for HCC. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society. (Source: Cancer)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy Further Reduces Normal Tissue Exposure During Definitive Therapy for Locally Advanced Distal Esophageal Tumors: A Dosimetric Study

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Compared with IMRT, IMPT for distal esophageal cancer lowered the dose to the heart, lung, and liver. The AP/LPO/RPO beam arrangement was optimal for sparing all three organs. The dosimetric benefits of protons will need to be tailored to each patient according to their specific cardiac and pulmonary risks. IMPT for esophageal cancer will soon be investigated further in a prospective trial at our institution. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Dosimetric Comparison of Involved-Field Three-Dimensional Conformal Photon Radiotherapy and Breast-Sparing Proton Therapy for the Treatment of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in Female Pediatric Patients

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 04:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Breast-sparing proton therapy has the potential to reduce unnecessary breast dose in young girls with HL by as much as 80% relative to involved-field 3D-CRT. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Proton therapy with chemotherapy well-tolerated in advanced lung cancer

HemOncToday.com — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:42:00 +0100

Chang JY. Cancer. 2011;doi:10.1002/cncr.26080. (Source: HemOncToday.com)

Elekta Software Making Strong Inroads in Clinics Providing Proton Therapy for Patients with Cancer

HSMN NewsFeed — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:48:54 +0100

Switzerland's Paul Scherrer Institute and Elekta collaborate in proton therapy development VILLIGEN, Switzerland, March 29, 2011 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- The Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland and Elekta are collaborating to further develop treat... Devices, OncologyElekta, Proton Therapy, treatment planning, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Proton‐based radiotherapy for unresectable or incompletely resected osteosarcoma

Cancer — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS:Proton therapy to deliver high radiotherapy doses allows locally curative treatment for some patients with unresectable or incompletely resected OSA. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society. (Source: Cancer)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Emory to launch Varian proton therapy facility

Health Imaging News — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:39:01 +0100

Emory Healthcare in Atlanta has signed a letter of intent with Advanced Particle Therapy, opening the door to a final exploratory phase for development of the Georgia Proton Treatment Center. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Emory Explores New Proton Therapy Facility To Offer Advanced Care To Cancer Patients

Health News from Medical News Today — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 11:00:00 +0100

Emory Healthcare is a key player in plans to bring the world's most advanced radiation treatment for cancer patients to Georgia. In furtherance of that role, Emory Healthcare has signed a letter of intent with Advanced Particle Therapy, LLC, of Minden, Nevada, opening the door to a final exploratory phase for development of The Georgia Proton Treatment Center - Georgia's first proton therapy facility. For certain cancers, proton therapy offers a more precise and aggressive approach to destroying cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, as compared to conventional X-ray radiation... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Emory explores new proton therapy facility to offer advanced care to cancer patients

EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:00:00 +0100

(Emory University) Emory Healthcare is a key player in plans to bring the world's most advanced radiation treatment for cancer patients to Georgia. In furtherance of that role, Emory Healthcare has signed a letter of intent with Advanced Particle Therapy, LLC, of Minden, Nevada, opening the door to a final exploratory phase for development of The Georgia Proton Treatment Center -- Georgia's first proton therapy facility. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance And ProCure Break Ground On Northwest's First Proton Therapy Center To Treat Cancer

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0100

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, together with ProCure Treatment Centers Inc., today held its ceremonial groundbreaking on a new proton therapy center in north Seattle that will provide a first-of-its-kind treatment option for cancer patients throughout the Northwest. When it opens in early 2013 on the campus of Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, the 60,000-square-foot facility will be among only a handful of centers in the nation to offer proton therapy... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Phase 2 study of high‐dose proton therapy with concurrent chemotherapy for unresectable stage III nonsmall cell lung cancer

Cancer — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS:Concurrent high‐dose proton therapy and chemotherapy are well tolerated, and the median survival time of 29.4 months is encouraging for unresectable stage III NSCLC. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society (Source: Cancer)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Sensitivity study of proton radiography and comparison with kV and MV x-ray imaging using GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

This study highlights the poorer spatial resolution of protons versus x-rays for radiographic imaging purposes, and the excellent density resolution of proton radiography. Contrasts around the tumor are higher using protons in a lung cancer patient case. The high-density resolution of proton radiography is of great importance for specific tumor diagnostics, such as in lung cancer, where x-ray radiography operates poorly. Furthermore, the use of daily proton radiography prior to proton therapy would ameliorate patient set-up while reducing the absorbed dose delivered through imaging. PMID: 21427482 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology)

Intelligent ePR system for evidence-based research in radiotherapy: proton therapy for prostate cancer

International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:02:36 +0100

Conclusions The ePR system was able to facilitate the proton therapy workflow. The PT ePR system was feasible for prostate cancer patient treated with hypofractionation protocol in proton therapy. This ePR system improves efficiency in data collection and integration to facilitate outcomes analysis. Content Type Journal ArticlePages 1-16DOI 10.1007/s11548-011-0551-yAuthors Anh H. Le, IPILab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USABrent Liu, IPILab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USAReinhard Schulte, James M. Slater, MD Proton Treatment and Research Center, Department of Radiation Medicine, Loma L...

Evaluation of Accuracy and Performance of a Fast Monte Carlo Code for Dose Calculation in Proton Therapy

Clinical Oncology — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:27:14 +0100

In this study, we evaluated a fast Monte Carlo treatment planning, and compared it to other algorithms. (Source: Clinical Oncology)

Throughput Modelling for a Proton Therapy Centre

Clinical Oncology — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:27:06 +0100

Background and purpose: A Matlab-based throughput model has been created to study the behaviour of a single-beam, multi-room proton therapy centre. The aim was to provide a reasonable approximation to the complex case of a real proton therapy centre, and to provide insight into the sensitivity to various real physical parameters. (Source: Clinical Oncology)

Accelerated partial breast irradiation using external beam conformal radiation therapy: A review

Critical Reviews in Oncology Hematology — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Abstract: Lumpectomy followed by whole breast radiation therapy (i.e. breast conservation therapy (BCT)) is the standard of care for management of early stage breast cancer. However, its utilization has not been maximized because of a number of reasons including the logistic issues associated with the 5–6weeks of radiation treatment. Also, pathological and clinical data suggest that most ipsilateral breast cancer recurrences are in the vicinity of the lumpectomy. Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is an approach that treats only the lumpectomy bed plus a 1–2cm margin, rather than the whole breast with higher doses of radiation in a shorter period of time. There has been growing interest for APBI and various approaches have been developed and are under phase I–III clinical ...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Arrival of 220-Ton Cyclotron Marks a Major Milestone in Construction of Metro New Yorks First Proton Therapy Center

HSMN NewsFeed — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:02:11 +0100

ProCure Proton Therapy Center for Cancer Treatment on Pace to Begin Treating Patients in 2012 SOMERSET, N.J.--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- A 220-ton cyclotron, the core of what will soon be New Jerseys most advanced radiation treatment cent... Devices, OncologyProCure Treatment Centers, cyclotron, Proton Therapy, proton beam, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Microdosimetric comparison of scanned and conventional proton beams used in radiation therapy

Radiation Protection Dosimetry — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Multiple groups have hypothesised that the use of scanning beams in proton therapy will reduce the neutron component of secondary radiation in comparison with conventional methods with a corresponding reduction in risks of radiation-induced cancers. Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) has had FDA marketing clearance for scanning beams since 1988 and an experimental scanning beam has been available at the LLUMC proton facility since 2001. The facility has a dedicated research room with a scanning beam and fast switching that allows its use during patient treatments. Dosimetric measurements and microdosimetric distributions for a scanned beam are presented and compared with beams produced with the conventional methods presently used in proton therapy. (Source: Radiation Protection D...

Calypso Medical Installs System Into World's Largest Proton Facility At University Of Pennsylvania

Medical Design Online News — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:00:00 +0100

Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumor targets, today announced it has completed installation of the Calypso Systemat the University of Pennsylvania's Roberts Proton Therapy Center (Source: Medical Design Online News)

The Potential Benefit of Radiotherapy with Protons in Head and Neck Cancer with Respect to Normal Tissue Sparing: A Systematic Review of Literature.

The Oncologist — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion. The results of ISPC studies indicate that protons have the potential for a significantly lower normal tissue dose, while keeping similar or better target coverage. Scanned IMPT probably offers the most advantage and will allow for a substantially lower probability of radiation-induced side effects. The results of these ISPC studies should be confirmed in properly designed clinical trials. PMID: 21349950 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Oncologist)

An efficient dose calculation strategy for intensity modulated proton therapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:46:35 +0100

Authors: Li Y, Zhang X, Mohan R While intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) has great potential to improve the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy, IMPT optimization can be computationally demanding, particularly for large and complex tumors. Here we propose a dose calculation strategy to accelerate IMPT optimization while reducing memory requirements. By using two adjustable threshold parameters, our method separates dose contributions from proton beamlets into major and minor components for each dose voxel. The optimization proceeds with two levels of iterations: in inner iterations, doses are updated in correspondence with changes in beamlet intensities from only the major contributions while keeping the portions from the minor contributions constant; in outer iterations, doses...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Monte Carlo patient study on the comparison of prompt gamma and PET imaging for range verification in proton therapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:46:31 +0100

Authors: Moteabbed M, España S, Paganetti H The purpose of this work was to compare the clinical adaptation of prompt gamma (PG) imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) as independent tools for non-invasive proton beam range verification and treatment validation. The PG range correlation and its differences with PET have been modeled for the first time in a highly heterogeneous tissue environment, using different field sizes and configurations. Four patients with different tumor locations (head and neck, prostate, spine and abdomen) were chosen to compare the site-specific behaviors of the PG and PET images, using both passive scattered and pencil beam fields. Accurate reconstruction of dose, PG and PET distributions was achieved by using the planning computed tomography (CT) i...

CPAC Announces Major Milestone in Development of Compact Proton Therapy Solution

HSMN NewsFeed — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:54:24 +0100

Proton Acceleration Demonstrated at CPAC Facility in Livermore, Calif. LIVERMORE, CA--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) - Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation (CPAC) announced today that it has demonstrated proton acceleration at its facility ... Devices, OncologyCompact Particle Acceleration Corp, Proton therapy, TomoTherapy, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Patient-Specific Quality Assurance for Prostate Cancer Patients Receiving Spot Scanning Proton Therapy Using Single-Field Uniform Dose

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: We have established a patient-specific QA program for prostate cancer patients receiving SSPT using SFUD. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

GPU-based fast pencil beam algorithm for proton therapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Fujimoto R, Kurihara T, Nagamine Y Performance of a treatment planning system is an essential factor in making sophisticated plans. The dose calculation is a major time-consuming process in planning operations. The standard algorithm for proton dose calculations is the pencil beam algorithm which produces relatively accurate results, but is time consuming. In order to shorten the computational time, we have developed a GPU (graphics processing unit)-based pencil beam algorithm. We have implemented this algorithm and calculated dose distributions in the case of a water phantom. The results were compared to those obtained by a traditional method with respect to the computational time and discrepancy between the two methods. The new algorithm shows 5-20 times faster performance u...

Study: Proton treatment for prostate cancer results in few complications

OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:08:00 +0100

Early data from a study at the University of Florida has found that men under age 55 whose prostate cancer has been treated with proton therapy report that they have few side effects. Early data from a UF clinical study shows that young men treated... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Dosimetric Comparison of Three-Dimensional Conformal Proton Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy, and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Treatment of Pediatric Craniopharyngiomas

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The current study found that proton therapy was able to avoid excess integral radiation dose to a variety of normal structures at all dose levels while maintaining equal target coverage. Future studies will examine the clinical benefits of these dosimetric advantages. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Early findings on toxicity of proton beam therapy with concurrent chemotherapy for nonsmall cell lung cancer

Cancer — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS:We found that higher doses of proton radiation could be delivered to lung tumors with a lower risk of esophagitis and pneumonitis. A randomized comparison of IMRT versus proton therapy is underway. Cancer 2011. © 2011 American Cancer Society. (Source: Cancer)

First Patients Complete Proton Therapy Treatment At CDH Proton Center, A Procure Center

Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Two months after the opening of the CDH Proton Center, A Procure Center, the first patients have "graduated" from their treatment surrounded by family, friends and staff. The group of graduating patients, whose tumors included prostate, brain and a non-cancerous tumor on the spinal cord, received proton therapy, an alternative to standard X-ray radiation that spares healthy tissue and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment side effects. (Source: Cancercompass News: Breast Cancer)

Parkinson’s conference to be held in Sarasota on Saturday

OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:32:29 +0100

Early data from a study at the University of Florida has found that men under age 55 whose prostate cancer has been treated with proton therapy report that they have few side effects. In the first 18 months after treatment, they reported high... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

Toxicity and Patterns of Failure of Adaptive/Ablative Proton Therapy for Early-Stage, Medically Inoperable Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Proton therapy to ablative doses is well tolerated and produces promising local control rates for medically inoperable early-stage NSCLC. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

First Patients Complete Proton Therapy Treatment at CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center

HSMN NewsFeed — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:43:40 +0100

Prostate, brain and pediatric cancers among first treated at Illinois only proton therapy center WARRENVILLE, Ill.--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- Two months after the opening of the CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center, the first patients hav... Devices, OncologyProCure Treatment Centers, proton therapy, proton beam, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

In Vivo Radiobiological Characterization of Proton Beam at the National Cancer Center in Korea: Effect of the Chk2 Mutation

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:52:30 +0100

Conclusions: The RBE of the NCCPTC is clearly within the range of RBEs determined at other facilities and is consistent with the generic RBE value of 1.10 for 150- to 250-MeV beams. The mutation of Chk2 gave rise to radioresistance but exhibited similar RBE. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Bringing The Leading Edge Cancer Treatment "Proton Therapy" To More Patients, 16-18 Feb 2011, Philadelphia, PA

Health News from Medical News Today — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 10:00:00 +0100

"There's a huge opportunity to gain with protons even if we can't cure more patients, but I think we will. But even if we didn't, there would still be a huge gain from a financial point of view, not to mention the most important thing - quality-of-life issues to reduce morbidity with protons." -Stephen M. Hahn, MD, Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology and the Henry K. Pancoast Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Oncology Times Proton Beam Therapy is the most precise form of radiation treatment available today... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Varian Medical Systems Receives 510(k) Clearance for its Proton Therapy System

HSMN NewsFeed — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:05:03 +0100

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 10, 2011 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Varian Medical Systems (NYSE:VAR ) has received FDA 510(k) clearance for the Varian Proton Therapy System which generates protons for precision radiotherapy of lesions, tumors, and conditions anywhere w... Devices, Oncology, FDAVarian Medical Systems, Proton Therapy, proton beam, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Varian proton therapy system receives 510(k)

Health Imaging News — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:11:32 +0100

Varian has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Varian Proton Therapy System, which generates protons for precision radiotherapy of lesions, tumors and conditions where radiation treatment is indicated. (Source: Health Imaging News)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Proton therapy

MayoClinic.com Full Feed — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:42:00 +0100

— Comprehensive overview covers definition, risks, results of proton radiation therapy. (Source: MayoClinic.com Full Feed)

Helical tomotherapy and intensity modulated proton therapy in the treatment of early stage prostate cancer: A treatment planning comparison

Radiotherapy and Oncology — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: HT and IMPT produce similar dose distributions in the target volume. The current knowledge on dose–effect relations does not allow to quantify the clinical impact of the large sparing of IMPT at medium-to-low doses. (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology)

Helical tomotherapy and intensity modulated proton therapy in the treatment of early stage prostate cancer: A treatment planning comparison.

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: HT and IMPT produce similar dose distributions in the target volume. The current knowledge on dose-effect relations does not allow to quantify the clinical impact of the large sparing of IMPT at medium-to-low doses. PMID: 21176983 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology)

Helical Tomotherapy vs. Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy for Whole Pelvis Irradiation in High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients: Dosimetric, Normal Tissue Complication Probability, and Generalized Equivalent Uniform Dose Analysis

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Comparable PTV coverage was observed. Based on NTCP calculation, IMPT is expected to allow a small reduction in rectal toxicity, and a significant dosimetric gain with IMPT, both in medium-dose and in low-dose range in all OARs, was observed. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Varian-Equipped Proton Therapy Center Becomes First Hospital To Offer Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) Cancer Treatments

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:00:00 +0100

A leading cancer clinic in Germany has become the first hospital in the world equipped to provide clinical treatments using intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT), a precise and fast way to deliver conformal proton therapy treatments. Rinecker Proton Therapy Center in Munich is able to provide advanced IMPT treatments thanks to improvements in the scanning delivery system enabled by equipment provider Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR). The hospital has also reached a landmark by bringing its fourth treatment gantry into clinical use... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Comparison of second cancer risk due to out-of-field doses from 6-MV IMRT and proton therapy based on 6 pediatric patient treatment plans

Radiotherapy and Oncology — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: In terms of out-of-field risks, IMRT offers advantage close to the primary field and an increasing advantage for passive proton therapy is noticed with increasing distance to the field. Scanning proton beam therapy shows the lowest risks. (Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology)

Variations in Linear Energy Transfer Within Clinical Proton Therapy Fields and the Potential for Biological Treatment Planning

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: This work demonstrates that active scanning offers the possibility of influencing the distribution of dose-averaged LET (i.e., the biological effect) without significantly altering the distribution of physical dose. On the basis of this finding, we propose a method to alter deliberately the LET distribution of a treatment plan in such a manner that the LET is maximized within certain target areas and minimized in normal tissues, while maintaining the prescribed target dose and dose constraints for organs at risk. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Varian-Equipped Proton Therapy Center Becomes First Hospital To Offer Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) Cancer Treatments

Medical Design Online News — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:00:00 +0100

Proton Therapy FAQ

About.com Prostate Cancer — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

How does proton therapy treat prostate cancer? What should you know about how proton therapy works and about how it treats prostate cancer? (Source: About.com Prostate Cancer)

Elekta Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance For XiO Software To Plan Spot Scanning For Proton Therapy

Health News from Medical News Today — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Elekta recently received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its XiO® treatment planning software to plan spot scanning. Spot scanning is a proton therapy delivery method that involves constructing a highly conformal dose to the tumor by using thousands of small individual beamlets instead of a single large beam. This approach enables Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT). XiO, Elekta's 3D / Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatment planning platform, offers proton therapy centers another option to plan proton deliveries... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Comorbidity-Adjusted Survival in Early Stage Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Hypofractionated Proton Therapy

Journal of Oncology — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:58:11 +0100

Conclusion. Predicted mortality from concurrent disease, based on Charlson Comorbidity Index, correlated well with observed comorbidity-specific mortality. This helps substantiate the accuracy of the data coding in cause of death and strengthens previously reported disease-specific survival rates. (Source: Journal of Oncology)

Proton therapy is fulfilling its promise

OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:05:33 +0100

The best-kept secret in cancer treatment is gaining widespread attention in part from local news at Hampton University. When the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute officially opened in October, it put proton therapy on the map not only in... (Source: OrlandoSentinel: Medical Research)

FDA clears XiO spot scanning software

Health Imaging News — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 11:08:59 +0100

The FDA has granted Elekta 510(k) clearance for its XiO spot scanning proton therapy planning software, which enables intensity modulated proton therapy. (Source: Health Imaging News)

Application of a fast proton dose calculation algorithm to a thorax geometry.

Radiation Measurements — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Yepes PP, Brannan T, Huang J, Mirkovic D, Newhauser WD, Taddei PJ, Titt U Treatment planning in proton therapy requires the calculation of absorbed dose distributions on beam shaping components and the patient anatomy. Analytical pencil-beam dose algorithms commonly used are not always accurate enough. The Monte Carlo approach is more accurate but extremely computationally intensive. The Fast Dose Calculator, a track-repeating algorithm, has been proposed as an alternative fast and accurate dose calculation. In this work FDC is applied to a proton therapy patient thoracic anatomy. PMID: 21544230 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Radiation Measurements)

Technological advances in radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:56:14 +0100

Authors: Vosmik M, Petera J, Sirak I, Hodek M, Paluska P, Dolezal J, Kopacova M Radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy and surgery represent the main treatment modalities in esophageal cancer. The goal of modern radiotherapy approaches, based on recent technological advances, is to minimize post-treatment complications by improving the gross tumor volume definition (positron emission tomography-based planning), reducing interfraction motion (image-guided radiotherapy) and intrafraction motion (respiratory-gated radiotherapy), and by better dose delivery to the precisely defined planning target volume (intensity-modulated radiotherapy and proton therapy). Reduction of radiotherapy-related toxicity is fundamental to the improvement of clinical results in esophageal cancer, although th...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Dosimetric comparison study between intensity modulated radiation therapy and three-dimensional conformal proton therapy for pelvic bone marrow sparing in the treatment of cervical cancer.

Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:00:08 +0100

The objective was to compare intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with 3D conformal proton therapy (3DCPT) in the treatment of cervical cancer. In particular, each technique's ability to spare pelvic bone marrow (PBM) was of primary interest in this study. A total of six cervical cancer patients (3 postoperative and 3 intact) were planned and analyzed. All plans had uniform 1.0 cm CTV-PTV margin and satisfied the 95% PTV with 100% isodose (prescription dose = 45 Gy) coverage. Dose-volume histograms (DVH) were analyzed for comparison. The overall PTV and PBM volumes were 1035.9 ± 192.2 cc and 1151.4 ± 198.3 cc, respectively. In terms of PTV dose conformity index (DCI) and dose homogene-ity index (DHI), 3DCPT was slightly superior to IMRT with 1.00 ± 0.001, 1.01 ± 0.02, and 1.10 ...

Assessing a set of optimal user interface parameters for intensity-modulated proton therapy planning.

Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:00:08 +0100

Authors: Hillbrand M, Georg D The purpose was to identify an optimal set of treatment planning parameters and a minimal necessary dose matrix resolution for treatment planning with spot-scanned protons. Treatment plans based on different combinations of planning parameters and dose grid resolutions (DG) were calculated in a homogeneous geometric phantom for three cubic targets of different size: 8, 64 and 244 cm3. The proton dose was delivered by one single beam. Treatment plans were compared in terms of dose profiles parallel to and perpendicular to the central beam axis, as well as by dose homogeneity and conformity measures. Irrespective of target size, the dose homogeneity and conformity were comparable if the distance between spot layers was in the order of the width of a single B...

Dose perturbations and image artifacts caused by carbon-coated ceramic and stainless steel fiducials used in proton therapy for prostate cancer.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:03:56 +0100

The objective of this study was to analyze the magnitude of the dose perturbations caused by select lower-Z fiducials (a carbon-coated zirconium dioxide fiducial and a plastic-coated stainless steel fiducial) and compare them to perturbations caused by conventional gold fiducials. Sets of phantoms were used to assess select components of the effects on dose. First, the fiducials were assessed for radiographic visibility using both conventional computed tomography (CT) and an on-board kilovoltage imaging device at our proton therapy center. CT streak artifacts from the fiducials were also measured in a separate phantom. Second, dose perturbations were measured downstream of the fiducials using radiochromic film. The magnitude of dose perturbation was characterized as a function of marker ma...

Adjustment of the lateral and longitudinal size of scanned proton beam spots using a pre-absorber to optimize penumbrae and delivery efficiency.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:03:15 +0100

Authors: Titt U, Mirkovic D, Sawakuchi GO, Perles LA, Newhauser WD, Taddei PJ, Mohan R In scanned-beam proton therapy, the beam spot properties, such as the lateral and longitudinal size and the minimum achievable range, are influenced by beam optics, scattering media and drift spaces in the treatment unit. Currently available spot scanning systems offer few options for adjusting these properties. We investigated a method for adjusting the lateral and longitudinal spot size that utilizes downstream plastic pre-absorbers located near a water phantom. The spot size adjustment was characterized using Monte Carlo simulations of a modified commercial scanned-beam treatment head. Our results revealed that the pre-absorbers can be used to reduce the lateral full width at half maximum (FWHM) o...

Estimate of the uncertainties in the relative risk of secondary malignant neoplasms following proton therapy and intensity-modulated photon therapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:02:50 +0100

The objective of this study was to quantify the uncertainties in projected risks of secondary cancer following contemporary proton and photon radiotherapies for prostate cancer. We performed a rigorous propagation of errors and several sensitivity tests to estimate the uncertainty in the ratio of relative risk (RRR) due to the largest contributors to the uncertainty: the radiation weighting factor for neutrons, the dose-response model for radiation carcinogenesis and interpatient variations in absorbed dose. The interval of values for the radiation weighting factor for neutrons and the dose-response model were derived from the literature, while interpatient variations in absorbed dose were taken from actual patient data. The influence of each parameter on a baseline RRR value was quantifie...

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

An analytic model of neutron ambient dose equivalent and equivalent dose for proton radiotherapy.

Physics in Medicine and Biology — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:02:42 +0100

Authors: Zhang R, Pérez-Andújar A, Fontenot JD, Taddei PJ, Newhauser WD Stray neutrons generated in passively scattered proton therapy are of concern because they increase the risk that a patient will develop a second cancer. Several investigations characterized stray neutrons in proton therapy using experimental measurements and Monte Carlo simulations, but capabilities of analytical methods to predict neutron exposures are less well developed. The goal of this study was to develop a new analytical model to calculate neutron ambient dose equivalent in air and equivalent dose in phantom based on Monte Carlo modeling of a passively scattered proton therapy unit. The accuracy of the new analytical model is superior to a previous analytical model and comparable to the accuracy of typica...

Early Outcomes From Three Prospective Trials of Image-Guided Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Early outcomes with image-guided proton therapy suggest high efficacy and minimal toxicity with only 1.9% Grade 3 GU symptoms and (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

IBA and ProCure Set Record on Development of Second Proton Therapy Center

HSMN NewsFeed — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:02:48 +0100

First Patient Treated 24 Months After Breaking Ground BLOOMINGTON, Ind. & LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.) and ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., (ProCure) announced today that the CDH Pr... Devices, OncologyProCure Treatment Centers, Ion Beam Applications, proton therapy, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Radiobiological Characterization of Two Therapeutic Proton Beams With Different Initial Energy Spectra Used at the Institut Curie Proton Therapy Center in Orsay

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Until now, little attention has been paid to the variation of RBE with depth in the SOBP as a function of the nominal energy of the primary proton beam and the molecular nature of the DNA damage. The RBE increase in the 76-MeV SOBP implies that the tumor tissues at the distal end receives a higher biologically equivalent dose than at the proximal end, despite a homogeneous physical dose. This is not the case for the 201-MeV energy beam. The precise determination of the effects of incident beam energy, modulation, and depth in tissues on the linear energy transfer–RBE relationship is essential for treatment planning. (Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics)

Randomised trial of proton vs. carbon ion radiation therapy in patients with chordoma of the skull base, clinical phase III study (HIT-1-Study)

BMC Cancer — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

DiscussionUp until now it was impossible to compare two different particle therapies, i.e. protons and carbon ions directly at the same facility. The aim of this study is to find out, whether the biological advantages of carbon ion therapy can also be clinically confirmed and translated into the better local control rates in the treatment of skull base chordomas. (Source: BMC Cancer)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.

Randomised trial of proton vs. carbon ion radiation therapy in patients with low and intermediate grade chondrosarcoma of the skull base, clinical phase III study

BMC Cancer — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

DiscussionUp to now it was impossible to compare two different particle therapies, i.e. protons and carbon ions, directly at the same facility in connection with the treatment of low grade skull base chondrosarcomas.This trial is a phase III study to demonstrate that carbon ion radiotherapy (experimental treatment) is not relevantly inferior and at least as good as proton radiotherapy (standard treatment) with respect to 5 year LPFS in the treatment of chondrosarcomas. Additionally, we expect less toxicity in the carbon ion treatment arm. (Source: BMC Cancer)

Investigation of an implantable dosimeter for single-point water equivalent path length verification in proton therapy.

Medical Physics — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Lu HM, Mann G, Cascio E In vivo range verification in proton therapy is highly desirable. A recent study suggested that it was feasible to use point dose measurement for in vivo beam range verification in proton therapy, provided that the spread-out Bragg peak dose distribution is delivered in a different and rather unconventional manner. In this work, the authors investigate the possibility of using a commercial implantable dosimeter with wireless reading for this particular application. PMID: 21158298 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Medical Physics)

Verification of patient-specific dose distributions in proton therapy using a commercial two-dimensional ion chamber array.

Medical Physics — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Arjomandy B, Sahoo N, Ciangaru G, Zhu R, Song X, Gillin M The purpose of this study was to determine whether a two-dimensional (2D) ion chamber array detector quickly and accurately measures patient-specific dose distributions in treatment with passively scattered and spot scanning proton beams. PMID: 21158295 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Medical Physics)

IBA Introduces Proteus ONE*, a Smaller, More Cost-Effective Proton Therapy System

HSMN NewsFeed — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:19:05 +0100

Proteus ONE* is a new single-room system that substantially reduces cost, minimizes the space and shortens the installation time required to build a Proton Therapy center. SAN DIEGO--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- A smaller, more efficient an... Devices, OncologyIBA Particle Therapy, Proteus ONE, Proton Therapy, radiotherapy (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Installation Of Next Generation Proton Therapy System Progressing Rapidly

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:00:00 +0100

Still River Systems' groundbreaking proton therapy system is entering the final phase of installation at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center. The precision of proton therapy makes it an important treatment option for patients with cancer, as it spares the healthy tissue and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment complications... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

MedWorm Sponsor Message: Please support the Doctors In Chains campaign for the medics tortured and sentenced for up to 15 years in Bahrain. #FreeDoctors

Residual Postoperative Tumour Volume Predicts Outcome after High-dose Radiotherapy for Chordoma and Chondrosarcoma of the Skull Base and Spine

Clinical Oncology — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: Our results show a high level of efficacy for fractionated photon radiotherapy after surgery, in keeping with other series. In addition, we found that although surgical debulking is essential, a small residual tumour volume may still be controlled with high-dose photon radiotherapy. This information may be relevant during neurosurgical planning, possibly allowing a reduction in risk of serious neurological deficits. This should encourage the further development of sophisticated photon radiotherapy, for patients unsuitable for proton therapy. (Source: Clinical Oncology)

Proton Therapy for Lung Cancer: New Data to Consider

Cancer Network — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:30:01 +0100

The role of radiation therapy (RT) in lung cancer is long established; some of the earliest Radiation Therapy Oncology Group reports dealt with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).[1,2] More recently, the advent of stereotactic body RT (SBRT) techniques has provided significant local control rates after focused treatment of selected small metastases and inoperable early stage lesions.[3,4] Our center has been in the forefront of examining SBRT and its role in central [5] or bilateral [6] lesions, its effect on PET imaging [7] and pulmonary function testing,[8] and subsequent frequency of brachial plexopathy,[9] chest wall toxicity,[10] or pneumonitis.[11] Still, even this highly conformal technique comes with potentially significant dose to adjacent normal tissue. This is in the context of ...

The Need to Engage Stakeholders in Defining, Designing, and Implementing Clinical Trials

Cancer Network — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:00:00 +0100

In the conclusion to the article “Proton Radiation Therapy for Lung Cancer: Is There Enough Evidence?” Dr. David Bush puts his finger on the critical issue underlying most debates about the value of new medical technologies. He notes that “The evidence required to bring new technology into clinical practice is poorly defined.”[1] In the specific context of this article, the answer to the question of whether or not there is enough evidence depends entirely on how one chooses to define “enough.” Some experts believe that biological modeling based on dose distributions is sufficient to conclude that proton therapy improves health outcomes. Others have argued that the evidence is only adequate once randomized clinical trials have been completed to directly compare alternative inter...

Pencil Beam Radiation Offers New Therapy Option For Lung Cancer Patients

Health News from Medical News Today — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Pencil beam scanning technology, an even more advanced and targeted form of radiation treatment known as proton therapy, is now being used to treat patients with lung cancer at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Proton therapy derives its advantage over conventional forms of radiation from its ability to deliver radiation doses to a targeted tumor with incredible precision that avoids surrounding tissue. This results in fewer side effects during and after treatment, and greater tumor control... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)