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Heavy Charged-particle Interaction Data for Radiotherapy
Closed for proposals
Project Type
Project Code
F43017CRP
1427Approved Date
Status
Start Date
Expected End Date
Completed Date
22 August 2011Description
The Coordinated Research Project on "Heavy charged-particle incretion data for radiotherapy" has been initiated to provide nuclear data that quantifies heavy charged-particle interactions with materials relevant to radiotherapy, from beam generation and collimation to the interaction of the beams with patients and detectors. The recommended data will be carefully checked against experimental charged-particle interaction data and computer-based Monte Carlo simulation
Objectives
The CRP was created in order to gather and assess available data and to generate new data for the interaction of heavy charged particles (protons and ions, e.g. Carbon) with the human tissue and with materials of therapeutic accelerators. Such data are required to improve the quality of the heavy charged-particle interaction database for patient dose delivery calculations in radiotherapy
Specific objectives
To incorporate available experimental information on charged-particle interactions into evaluated nuclear data files or nuclear data parameterizations,
to make available existing experimental information on charged-particle data interaction relevant to radiotherapy and recommend nuclear data parameterizations and evaluated data, which can be processed and used by Monte Carlo code developers and users worldwide,
to define and make available recommended hadronic physics settings for Monte Carlo transport codes and applications,
to activate available human resources and to facilitate interaction and sharing of work within the community in a timely and professional manner
Data libraries of charged-particle interactions are needed to validate the calculations using nuclear models and for direct use in other type of calculations. There are several available Monte-Carlo particle transport codes with the capability to treat the transport of nucleons, electrons, photons and heavy ions. We expect that most of the existing codes (GEANT4, SHIELD-HIT, FLUKA, PHITS, MCNP, etc.) will be modified so that they could benefit from the use of updated cross-section libraries.
Impact
The CRP has produced a number of measurements, calculations, and compilations of data on proton and carbon ion interaction with human tissues and accelerator structural materials that were not available before.
Relevance
The CRP had been strongly supported by MS where proton and ion therapy centres are planned or in operation. The observed increase in proton therapy cancer treatment worldwide highlights the importance of CRP produced data and recommendations to improve the quality and safety of patient dose delivery calculations in radiotherapy.