Operational Improvement of a Proton Therapy System From Reduced Energy Layer Switching Time.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Proton therapy offers precise radiation delivery, but treatment efficiency can be limited by system operational times.
• Optimizing beam delivery and layer switching times is crucial for enhancing patient throughput and access to care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the operational improvements from reduced energy layer switching time and total beam delivery time on a 3-room IBA ProteusPLUS system.
• To quantify the impact of an energy layer switching time upgrade on treatment efficiency and patient capacity.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed energy layer switching time and total delivery time for eight treatment fields before and after an upgrade.
• Estimated total treatment capacity for a 12-hour day using a 3-room system with a common cyclotron.
• Calculated potential revenue increase using Medicare reimbursement rates.

Main Results:

• Average energy layer switching time decreased by 70.6% (from 6.33 to 1.86 s).
• Average total treatment field delivery time reduced by 52.6% (from 240 to 113 s).
• Patient treatment capacity increased by 112% (from 60 to 127 patients per day).

Conclusions:

• Reduced energy layer switching time significantly decreases proton therapy treatment delivery time.
• Increased treatment capacity enhances patient access to proton therapy, particularly for sites like head and neck cancer.
• Faster treatments may offer clinical benefits through improved patient alignment and comfort.