Proton Therapy Facility Planning From a Clinical and Operational Model

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Health Facility Planning

Background:

• Proton beam therapy offers precise radiation delivery, but planning new centers requires careful consideration of clinical and technical factors.
• Optimizing facility design based on patient data can significantly impact cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a model for planning new proton therapy centers.
• To analyze patient data, beam utilization, and technical considerations to inform facility design and reduce costs.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of patient-specific data including target depth, disease sites, and beam angle utilization.
• Evaluation of insurance providers, snout size, and treatment depths.
• Modeling the impact of these factors on proton beam energy requirements and facility costs.

Main Results:

• Tumor depth exhibits a bimodal distribution (12 and 26 cm), necessitating proton energies between 130-230 MeV.
• Preferred beam angles are primarily 90° and 270°, suggesting potential for gantry minimization.
• 70% of patients utilize 10 cm snouts; 95-100% of U.S. patients can be treated with 200-230 MeV proton beams.

Conclusions:

• Facility planning should consider patient cohort characteristics to optimize gantry numbers and reduce capital costs.
• Specific beam energies and utilization patterns can inform efficient proton therapy center design.
• Advanced techniques like pencil beam scanning can further reduce operational expenses.