The implementation of an image-guided system at a proton therapy center facility.

Purpose: Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) proton therapy has similar requirements on patient alignment to within 1 mm and 1-degree accuracy as photon radiosurgery. This study describes general workflow, acceptance, and commissioning test procedures and their respective results for an independent robotic arm used for Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) for a Proton Therapy System.

Methods: The system is equipped with kV-imaging techniques capable of orthogonal and Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) imaging modalities mounted on an independent robotic arm gantry attached to the ceiling.

AAPM task group 224: Comprehensive proton therapy machine quality assurance.

Purpose:  Task Group (TG) 224 was established by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine's Science Council under the Radiation Therapy Committee and Work Group on Particle Beams. The group was charged with developing comprehensive quality assurance (QA) guidelines and recommendations for the three commonly employed proton therapy techniques for beam delivery: scattering, uniform scanning, and pencil beam scanning. This report supplements established QA guidelines for therapy machine performance for other widely used modalities, such as photons and electrons (TG 142, TG 40, TG 24, TG 22, TG 179, and Medical Physics Practice Guideline 2a) and shares their aims of ensuring the safe, accurate, and consistent delivery of radiation therapy dose distributions to patients.

Technical Note: Use of commercial multilayer Faraday cup for offline daily beam range verification at the McLaren Proton Therapy Center.

Purpose: Daily verification of the proton beam range in proton radiation therapy is a vital part of the quality assurance (QA) program. The objective of this work is to study the use of a multilayer Faraday cup (MLFC) to perform a quick and precise daily range verification of proton beams produced by a synchrotron.

Methods: Proton beam depth dose measurements were performed at room iso-center in water using PTW water tank and Bragg Peak ion chamber.

A treatment planning study of proton arc therapy for para-aortic lymph node tumors: dosimetric evaluation of conventional proton therapy, proton arc therapy, and intensity modulated radiotherapy.

Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric benefits of a proton arc technique for treating tumors of the para-aortic lymph nodes (PALN).

Method: In nine patients, a proton arc therapy (PAT) technique was compared with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and proton beam therapy (PBT) techniques with respect to the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OAR). PTV coverage, conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI) and OAR doses were compared.

A comparison of the quality assurance of four dosimetric tools for intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Background: This study was designed to compare the quality assurance (QA) results of four dosimetric tools used for intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and to suggest universal criteria for the passing rate in QA, irrespective of the dosimetric tool used.

Materials And Methods: Thirty fields of IMRT plans from five patients were selected, followed by irradiation onto radiochromic film, a diode array (Mapcheck), an ion chamber array (MatriXX) and an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) for patient-specific QA. The measured doses from the four dosimetric tools were compared with the dose calculated by the treatment planning system.