Rectum Dose Constraints for Carbon Ion Therapy: Relative Biological Effectiveness Model Dependence in Relation to Clinical Outcomes.

The clinical application of different relative biological effectiveness (RBE) models for carbon ion RBE-weighted dose calculation hinders a global consensus in defining normal tissue constraints. This work aims to update the local effect model (LEM)-based constraints for the rectum using microdosimetric kinetic model (mMKM)-defined values, relying on RBE translation and the analysis of long-term clinical outcomes. LEM-optimized plans of treated patients, having suffered from prostate adenocarcinoma ( = 22) and sacral chordoma ( = 41), were recalculated with the mMKM using an in-house developed tool.

Dosimetric validation of Monte Carlo and analytical dose engines with raster-scanning H, He, C, and O ion-beams using an anthropomorphic phantom.

With high-precision radiotherapy on the rise towards mainstream healthcare, comprehensive validation procedures are essential, especially as more sophisticated technologies emerge. In preparation for the upcoming translation of novel ions, case-/disease-specific ion-beam selection and advanced multi-particle treatment modalities at the Heidelberg Ion-beam Therapy Center (HIT), we quantify the accuracy limits in particle therapy treatment planning under complex heterogeneous conditions for the four ions (H, He, C, O) using a Monte Carlo Treatment Planning platform (MCTP), an independent GPU-accelerated analytical dose engine developed in-house (FRoG) and the clinical treatment planning system (Syngo RT Planning). Attaching an anthropomorphic half-head Alderson RANDO phantom to entrance window of a dosimetric verification water tank, a cubic target spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) was optimized using the MCTP to best resolve effects of anatomic heterogeneities on dose homogeneity.

FRoG-A New Calculation Engine for Clinical Investigations with Proton and Carbon Ion Beams at CNAO.

A fast and accurate dose calculation engine for hadrontherapy is critical for both routine clinical and advanced research applications. FRoG is a graphics processing unit (GPU)-based forward calculation tool developed at CNAO (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica) and at HIT (Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center) for fast and accurate calculation of both physical and biological dose. FRoG calculation engine adopts a triple Gaussian parameterization for the description of the lateral dose distribution.

Fast robust dose calculation on GPU for high-precision H, He, C and O ion therapy: the FRoG platform.

Radiotherapy with protons and heavier ions landmarks a novel era in the field of high-precision cancer therapy. To identify patients most benefiting from this technologically demanding therapy, fast assessment of comparative treatment plans utilizing different ion species is urgently needed. Moreover, to overcome uncertainties of actual in-vivo physical dose distribution and biological effects elicited by different radiation qualities, development of a reliable high-throughput algorithm is required.