(90)Y -PET imaging: Exploring limitations and accuracy under conditions of low counts and high random fraction.

Purpose: (90)Y -positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is becoming a recognized modality for postinfusion quantitative assessment following radioembolization therapy. However, the extremely low counts and high random fraction associated with (90)Y -PET may significantly impair both qualitative and quantitative results. The aim of this work was to study image quality and noise level in relation to the quantification and bias performance of two types of Siemens PET scanners when imaging (90)Y and to compare experimental results with clinical data from two types of commercially available (90)Y microspheres.

3D inpatient dose reconstruction from the PET-CT imaging of 90Y microspheres for metastatic cancer to the liver: feasibility study.

Purpose: The introduction of radioembolization with microspheres represents a significant step forward in the treatment of patients with metastatic disease to the liver. This technique uses semiempirical formulae based on body surface area or liver and target volumes to calculate the required total activity for a given patient. However, this treatment modality lacks extremely important information, which is the three-dimensional (3D) dose delivered by microspheres to different organs after their administration.

SU-E-T-590: Procedure for Verification and Inter-Comparison of IMRT Beam Models.

Purpose: The implementation of an accurate beam model is an integral part of the commissioning of any planning system. This process is especially challenging in the case of IMRT beam models owing to the complexity of small field sizes and MLC leaf-end and tongue-and-groove effects. The question of how to judge the quality of an IMRT beam model in comparison with other versions of the same model is central to this work.

An evidence based review of proton beam therapy: the report of ASTRO's emerging technology committee.

Proton beam therapy (PBT) is a novel method for treating malignant disease with radiotherapy. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the state of the science of PBT and arrive at a recommendation for the use of PBT. The emerging technology committee of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) routinely evaluates new modalities in radiotherapy and assesses the published evidence to determine recommendations for the society as a whole.

Linear energy transfer of proton clusters.

In conventional particle accelerators, protons are produced in long pulses, in which the average inter-proton distance is in the order of tens of centimeters or more. Therefore, the radiobiology of conventionally accelerated protons is primarily governed by the interaction of a single proton with the cell. In a laser-plasma interaction scheme, the accelerated protons come as a single bunch of particles (less than 1 ps in duration) with inter particle distances that are many orders of magnitude shorter than those in conventional particle accelerators.