Recent innovations in carbon-ion radiotherapy

Area of Science:

• Medical physics
• Radiation oncology
• Particle therapy

Background:

• Carbon-ion radiotherapy is gaining prominence with new facilities emerging in Europe and Asia.
• Current facilities employ two primary beam shaping methods: passive and active (beam scanning).
• The HIMAC facility in Japan utilizes passive beam shaping, while GSI/HIT in Germany uses active beam shaping.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of technical aspects related to beam shaping in carbon-ion radiotherapy.
• To compare the clinical application and experience of passive versus active beam shaping techniques.
• To highlight the potential of active beam shaping for future radiotherapy advancements.

Main Methods:

• Review of technical aspects of passive beam shaping, established at HIMAC.
• Review of technical aspects of active beam shaping (beam scanning), adopted at GSI/HIT.
• Comparison of clinical data and patient numbers for both methods.

Main Results:

• Passive beam shaping is a clinically established technique with over 4000 patients treated at HIMAC.
• Active beam shaping has treated approximately 400 patients, with no reported experience for respiratory moving targets.
• Active beam shaping offers patient-specific, collimator-less, and compensator-less treatment possibilities.

Conclusions:

• Passive beam shaping is a mature technology for carbon-ion radiotherapy with a significant clinical track record.
• Active beam shaping, though less clinically experienced, presents unique advantages for personalized treatments.
• The potential for adaptive radiotherapy using active beam shaping warrants further investigation and development.