Influence of momentum acceptance on range monitoring of 11C and 15O ion beams using in-beam PET.

In heavy-ion therapy, the stopping position of primary ions in tumours needs to be monitored for effective treatment and to prevent overdose exposure to normal tissues. Positron-emitting ion beams, such as 11C and 15O, have been suggested for range verification in heavy-ion therapy using in-beam positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, which offers the capability of visualizing the ion stopping position with a high signal-to-noise ratio. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility of in-beam PET imaging for the range verification of 11C and 15O ion beams and observed a slight shift between the beam stopping position and the dose peak position in simulations, depending on the initial beam energy spread. In this study, we focused on the experimental confirmation of the shift between the Bragg peak position and the position of the maximum detected positron-emitting fragments via a PET system for positron-emitting ion beams of 11C (210 MeV u-1) and 15O (312 MeV u-1) with momentum acceptances of 5% and 0.5%. For this purpose, we measured the depth doses and performed in-beam PET imaging using a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom for both beams with different momentum acceptances. The shifts between the Bragg peak position and the PET peak position in an irradiated PMMA phantom for the 15O ion beams were 1.8 mm and 0.3 mm for momentum acceptances of 5% and 0.5%, respectively. The shifts between the positions of two peaks for the 11C ion beam were 2.1 mm and 0.1 mm for momentum acceptances of 5% and 0.5%, respectively. We observed larger shifts between the Bragg peak and the PET peak positions for a momentum acceptance of 5% for both beams, which is consistent with the simulation results reported in our previous study. The biological doses were also estimated from the calculated relative biological effectiveness (RBE) values using a modified microdosimetric kinetic model (mMKM) and Monte Carlo simulation. Beams with a momentum acceptance of 5% should be used with caution for therapeutic applications to avoid extra dose to normal tissues beyond the tumour when the dose distal fall-off is located beyond the treatment volume.

Optical imaging for the characterization of radioactive carbon and oxygen ion beams.

Heavy ion therapy is a promising cancer therapy technique due to the sharper Bragg peak and smaller lateral scattering characteristics of heavy ion beams as compared to a proton therapy. Recently, the potential for radioactive ion beam therapy has been investigated in combination with the OpenPET system to improve the accuracy of in vivo beam range verification. However, the characteristics of the radioactive ion beams have not been investigated thoroughly. Optical imaging has been proposed as a novel high-resolution beam range estimation method for heavy ion beams. In this study, high-resolution luminescence imaging and Cerenkov light imaging were performed for the range estimation of radioactive ion beams such as 11C and 15O in the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) secondary beam line. A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom (10.0 × 10.0 × 9.9 cm3) was irradiated by 11C and 15O ion beams. In order to obtain the in-beam luminescence and off-line beam Cerenkov light images, an optical system was used that consisted of a lens and a cooled CCD camera. The Bragg peaks and stopping positions of the 11C and 15O ion beams could be visualized by using the luminescence and Cerenkov light imaging, respectively. The Bragg peaks showed a good correlation with the peak of the luminescence profile with a positional discrepancy of 1 mm and 0.4 mm for the 11C and 15O ion beams, respectively. In conclusion, optical imaging using luminescence and Cerenkov light could be used for the precise range estimation of radioactive ion beams.

Benchmarking GATE/Geant4 for 16O ion beam therapy.

Oxygen ([Formula: see text]) ions are a potential alternative to carbon ions in ion beam therapy. Their enhanced linear energy transfer indicates a higher relative biological effectiveness and a reduced oxygen enhancement ratio. Due to the limited availability of [Formula: see text] ion beams, Monte Carlo (MC) transport codes are important research tools for investigating their potential. The purpose of this study was to validate GATE/Geant4 for [Formula: see text] ion beam therapy using experimental data from literature. Five hadron physics lists and two electromagnetic options were benchmarked against measured depth dose distributions (DDDs) and charge-changing cross sections. The simulated beam ranges deviated by less than 0.5% for all physics configurations and only a few points exceeded the gamma index criterion (2%/1 mm). However, the simulated partial charge-changing cross sections deviated considerably for some hadron physics configurations. Best agreement with the experimental values was obtained with the quantum molecular dynamics model (QMD), and we therefore suggest using this model in Geant4 to accurately describe the fragmentation of [Formula: see text] ion beams into lighter fragments ([Formula: see text]).

Comparative study of dose distributions and cell survival fractions for 1H, 4He, 12C and 16O beams using Geant4 and Microdosimetric Kinetic model.

Depth and radial dose profiles for therapeutic (1)H, (4)He, (12)C and (16)O beams are calculated using the Geant4-based Monte Carlo model for Heavy-Ion Therapy (MCHIT). (4)He and (16)O ions are presented as alternative options to (1)H and (12)C broadly used for ion-beam cancer therapy. Biological dose profiles and survival fractions of cells are estimated using the modified Microdosimetric Kinetic model. Depth distributions of cell survival of healthy tissues, assuming 10% and 50% survival of tumor cells, are calculated for 6 cm SOBPs at two tumor depths and for different tissues radiosensitivities. It is found that the optimal ion choice depends on (i) depth of the tumor, (ii) dose levels and (iii) the contrast of radiosensitivities of tumor and surrounding healthy tissues. Our results indicate that (12)C and (16)O ions are more appropriate to spare healthy tissues in the case of a more radioresistant tumor at moderate depths. On the other hand, a sensitive tumor surrounded by more resistant tissues can be better treated with (1)H and (4)He ions. In general, (4)He beam is found to be a good candidate for therapy. It better spares healthy tissues in all considered cases compared to (1)H. Besides, the dose conformation is improved for deep-seated tumors compared to (1)H, and the damage to surrounding healthy tissues is reduced compared to heavier ions due to the lower impact of nuclear fragmentation. No definite advantages of (16)O with respect to (12)C ions are found in this study.