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Experimental verification of proton beam monitoring in a human body by use of activity image of positron-emitting nuclei generated by nuclear fragmentation reaction

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Abstract

Proton therapy is a form of radiotherapy that enables concentration of dose on a tumor by use of a scanned or modulated Bragg peak. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate the proton-irradiated volume accurately. The proton-irradiated volume can be confirmed by detection of pair-annihilation gamma rays from positron-emitting nuclei generated by the nuclear fragmentation reaction of the incident protons on target nuclei using a PET apparatus. The activity of the positron-emitting nuclei generated in a patient was measured with a PET-CT apparatus after proton beam irradiation of the patient. Activity measurement was performed in patients with tumors of the brain, head and neck, liver, lungs, and sacrum. The 3-D PET image obtained on the CT image showed the visual correspondence with the irradiation area of the proton beam. Moreover, it was confirmed that there were differences in the strength of activity from the PET-CT images obtained at each irradiation site. The values of activity obtained from both measurement and calculation based on the reaction cross section were compared, and it was confirmed that the intensity and the distribution of the activity changed with the start time of the PET imaging after proton beam irradiation. The clinical use of this information about the positron-emitting nuclei will be important for promoting proton treatment with higher accuracy in the future.

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Acknowledgments

We greatly thank the staff members of the Proton Radiotherapy Department of the National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, for their assistance, and the members of SHI Accelerator Service Ltd. and Accelerator Engineering Inc. for operation of the proton apparatus. We are grateful to the reviewers and editors of this Journal for their comments and advices, and thank the other office staffs for their supports.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Kazumasa Inoue

    Present address: Functional Imaging Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, 6-5-1 Kashiwano-ha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Particle Therapy Division, Research Center for Innovative Oncology, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, 6-5-1 Kashiwano-ha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan

    Teiji Nishio, Tomoko Gomi-Miyagishi, Ryosuke Kohno, Satoru Kameoka & Takashi Ogino

  2. Department of Nuclear Engineering and Management, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, 2-11-16 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0032, Japan

    Teiji Nishio & Aya Miyatake

  3. Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan

    Teiji Nishio & Keiichi Nakagawa

  4. Department of Radiology, National Cancer Center, Kashiwa, 6-5-1 Kashiwano-ha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba, 277-8577, Japan

    Kazumasa Inoue

  5. Graduate School of Health Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 7-2-10 Higashiogu, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, 116-8551, Japan

    Kazumasa Inoue

Authors
  1. Teiji Nishio
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  2. Aya Miyatake
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  3. Kazumasa Inoue
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  4. Tomoko Gomi-Miyagishi
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  5. Ryosuke Kohno
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  6. Satoru Kameoka
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  7. Keiichi Nakagawa
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  8. Takashi Ogino
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Teiji Nishio.

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Nishio, T., Miyatake, A., Inoue, K. et al. Experimental verification of proton beam monitoring in a human body by use of activity image of positron-emitting nuclei generated by nuclear fragmentation reaction. Radiol Phys Technol 1, 44–54 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-007-0008-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-007-0008-8

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