U.S. Particle Accelerator School
Hadron Accelerators for Cancer Treatment course
Sponsoring University:
Indiana University
held in Tucson, Arizona
Course:
Hadron Accelerators for Cancer Treatment
Instructor:
George Coutrakon, Loma Linda University Medical Center
This course will examine proton and light ion accelerators that have been designed for use in cancer therapy. The course will begin with the beam requirements for radiation therapy that all hadron accelerators must satisfy. The fundamentals of proton dosimetry, light ion dosimetry, and beam delivery systems will be discussed along with their relationship to accelerator requirements. The ability of synchrotrons, cyclotrons and linear accelerators to fulfill these requirements will then be examined. The requirements for accelerator and beam transport control systems, which are unique to therapy applications, will be presented. We will examine hadron accelerators which are currently in construction or already used for patient treatments. Other topics include accelerator measurements for commissioning of a new accelerator and acceptance criteria by the medical physicist before the machine can be turned over for clinical use. Beam transport from accelerators through treatment room gantry structures will also be discussed. Prerequisites: classical mechanics and electromagnetism; accelerator physics.