FLASH Investigations Using Protons: Design of Delivery System, Preclinical Setup and Confirmation of FLASH Effect with Protons in Animal Systems.

Extremely high-dose-rate irradiation, referred to as FLASH, has been shown to be less damaging to normal tissues than the same dose administrated at conventional dose rates. These results, typically seen at dose rates exceeding 40 Gy/s (or 2,400 Gy/min), have been widely reported in studies utilizing photon or electron radiation as well as in some proton radiation studies. Here, we report the development of a proton irradiation platform in a clinical proton facility and the dosimetry methods developed.

Comparison of Geant4 multiple Coulomb scattering models with theory for radiotherapy protons.

Usually, Monte Carlo models are validated against experimental data. However, models of multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS) in the Gaussian approximation are exceptional in that we have theories which are probably more accurate than the experiments which have, so far, been done to test them. In problems directly sensitive to the distribution of angles leaving the target, the relevant theory is the Molière/Fano/Hanson variant of Molière theory (Gottschalk et al 1993 Nucl.

Validation of nuclear models in Geant4 using the dose distribution of a 177 MeV proton pencil beam.

A proton pencil beam is associated with a surrounding low-dose envelope, originating from nuclear interactions. It is important for treatment planning systems to accurately model this envelope when performing dose calculations for pencil beam scanning treatments, and Monte Carlo (MC) codes are commonly used for this purpose. This work aims to validate the nuclear models employed by the Geant4 MC code, by comparing the simulated absolute dose distribution to a recent experiment of a 177 MeV proton pencil beam stopping in water.

On the nuclear halo of a proton pencil beam stopping in water.

The dose distribution of a proton beam stopping in water has components due to basic physics and may have others from beam contamination. We propose the concise terms core for the primary beam, halo (see Pedroni et al 2005 Phys. Med.

Validation of an in-vivo proton beam range check method in an anthropomorphic pelvic phantom using dose measurements.

Purpose: In-vivo dosimetry and beam range verification in proton therapy could play significant role in proton treatment validation and improvements. In-vivo beam range verification, in particular, could enable new treatment techniques one of which could be the use of anterior fields for prostate treatment instead of opposed lateral fields as in current practice. This paper reports validation study of an in-vivo range verification method which can reduce the range uncertainty to submillimeter levels and potentially allow for in-vivo dosimetry.

Comments on 'Calculation of water equivalent thickness of materials of arbitrary density, elemental composition and thickness in proton beam irradiation'.

We comment on a previous article by Zhang and Newhauser (2009 Phys. Med. Biol.

On the scattering power of radiotherapy protons.

Purpose: First, to show that accurate formulas for scattering power T must take into account the competition between the Gaussian core and the single scattering tail of the angular distribution, which affects the rate of change in the Gaussian width and leads to the single scattering correction (SSC). Second, to show that the SSC requires that T(x) be nonlocal: Besides material properties and energy at the point of interest, it must depend in some fashion on how much multiple scattering has already taken place. Third, after reviewing five previous formulas (three local and two nonlocal), to derive an improved "differential Molière" formula T(dM).