[The efficacy of proton irradiation of the hypophysis in children with Itsenko-Cushing disease].

The authors represent the results of the treatment of 20 children with Itsenko-Cushing disease (ICD) by proton-beam irradiation of the pituitary body. The use of the medical proton beam of the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics was found to be effective for the treatment of children with mild and average forms of ICD. Irradiation of the pituitary gland at a dose of 70-100 Gy is accompanied by general and local radiation reactions which are not dangerous for children.

[Topographic and dosimetric considerations in different methods of proton irradiation].

Two techniques are employed for proton irradiation: one--to pass a proton beam through a target, the other one--to stop in it. The advantage of the first technique is a very small angular divergence of the beam penetrating tissues or, consequently, a very high lateral edge field gradient. The second technique has two additional advantages: the absence of radiation lesions behind the target and an increase in the stopping power (dose) at the end of the beam range localized in the target.

[Proton irradiation of bone metastases].

A proton beam with the energy of 100-130 Mev, the range up to 40-100 mm and diameter up to 6 cm was used for radiation therapy of breast cancer metastases to the bones adjoining the vital organs or normal tissues with low tolerance (the skull, sternum, ribs, jaw, etc.). Medium fractionation regimens were used for the single doses of 4-10 Gy.