Prog Med Phys.  2020 Sep;31(3):99-110. 10.14316/pmp.2020.31.3.99.

Proton Therapy Review: Proton Therapy from a Medical

• Lee SB

• KMID: 2507482
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14316/pmp.2020.31.3.99

Abstract

With hope and concern, the first Korean proton therapy facility was introduced to the National Cancer Center (NCC) in 2007. It added a new chapter to the history of Korean radiation therapy. There have been challenging clinical trials using proton beam therapy, which has seen many impressive results in cancer treatment. Compared to the rapidly increasing number of proton therapy facilities in the world, only one more proton therapy center has been added since 2007 in Korea. The Samsung Medical Center installed a proton therapy facility in 2015. Most radiation oncology practitioners would agree that the physical properties of the proton beam provide a clear advantage in radiation treatment. But the expensive cost of proton therapy facilities is still one of the main reasons that hospitals are reluctant to introduce them in Korea. I herein introduce the history of proton therapy and the cutting edge technology used in proton therapy. In addition, I will cover the role of a medical physicist in proton therapy and the future prospects of proton therapy, based on personal experience in participating in proton therapy programs from the beginning at the NCC.

Keyword

Proton therapy; Passive scattering; Pencil beam scanning; Flash therapy; Acr therapy

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Proton therapy facilities in operation worldwide [7].

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  Fig. 2 The layout of the proton therapy facility at the National Cancer Center.

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  Fig. 3 Statistics of proton patients at the National Cancer Center.

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  Fig. 4 The layout of the Samsung Medical Center proton facility in Seoul.

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  Fig. 5 The correlation between proton beam range in water and kinetic energy.

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  Fig. 6 Ion Beam Application (IBA, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium) Cyclotron for proton therapy at the National Cancer Center, Korea.

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  Fig. 7 Synchrotron for proton therapy at the Tsukuba University Hospital in Japan.

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  Fig. 8 The proton beam nozzle for (a) scattering mode and (b) pencil beam scanning.

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  Fig. 9 The Mevion gantry (left) and the Ion Beam Application (IBA) Proteus plus gantry (right).

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  Fig. 10 Proton arc therapy demonstration on an Ion Beam Application (IBA) Proteus One, with dynamic gantry control, fast and accurate beam, an optimal treatment planning system (TPS) algorithm, and 3D dosimetry (courtesy of IBA).

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  Fig. 11 A prompt gamma detector experiment with water phantom at the National Cancer Center in Korea [20].

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  Fig. 12 The distribution of proton patient indications and changes of disease indications in 2018 at the National Cancer Center in Korea.

Reference

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