Proton and Heavy Particle Intracranial Radiosurgery

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Neurosurgery

Background:

• Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivers precise radiation doses to tumors.
• Photon-based SRS is effective but has limitations, especially for repeat treatments or near critical structures.
• Particle therapy offers potential improvements in dose distribution and biological effect.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of clinical evidence for particle therapy-based radiosurgery.
• To explore the advantages of particle therapy over photon-based SRS.
• To highlight the potential of protons and carbon ions in radiosurgery.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical evidence for particle therapy in radiosurgery.
• Comparison of photon-based and particle-based SRS techniques.
• Analysis of dose distribution and radiobiological effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Particle therapy, featuring a Bragg Peak, minimizes dose to surrounding tissues.
• Carbon ions offer higher linear energy transfer and relative biological effectiveness.
• Proton radiosurgery shows promising local control rates for brain metastases, comparable to photon-based methods.

Conclusions:

• Particle-based radiosurgery, particularly with protons and carbon ions, shows potential for improved outcomes and reduced toxicity.
• Further prospective studies are necessary to validate the safety and efficacy of particle therapy in SRS.
• Particle therapy represents a promising advancement in the field of radiosurgery.