• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.80-87
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Proton therapy has different relative biological effectiveness (RBE) compared with X-ray treatment, which is the standard in radiation therapy, and the fixed RBE value of 1.1 is widely used. However, RBE depends on a charged particle's linear energy transfer (LET); therefore, measuring LET is important. We have developed a LET measurement method using the inefficiency characteristic of an EBT3 film on a proton beam's Bragg peak (BP) region. Methods: A Gafchromic EBT3 film was used to measure the proton beam LET. It measured the dose at a 10-cm pristine BP proton beam in water to determine the quenching factor of the EBT3 film as a reference beam condition. Monte Carlo (MC) calculations of dose-averaged LET (LET_d) were used to determine the quenching factor and validation. The dose-averaged LETs at the 12-, 16-, and 20-cm pristine BP proton beam in water were calculated with the quenching factor. Results: Using the passive scattering proton beam nozzle of the National Cancer Center in Korea, the LET_d was measured for each beam range. The quenching factor was determined to be 26.15 with 0.3% uncertainty under the reference beam condition. The dose-averaged LETs were measured for each test beam condition. Conclusions: We developed a method for measuring the proton beam LET using an EBT3 film. This study showed that the magnitude of the quenching effect can be estimated using only one beam range, and the quenching factor determined under the reference condition can be applied to any therapeutic proton beam range.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.129-133
• /
• 2017

The machine log files recorded by a scanning control unit in proton beam therapy system have been studied to be used as a quality assurance method of scanning beam deliveries. The accuracy of the data in the log files have been evaluated with a standard calibration beam scan pattern. The proton beam scan pattern has been delivered on a gafchromic film located at the isocenter plane of the proton beam treatment nozzle and found to agree within ${\pm}1.0mm$. The machine data accumulated for the scanning beam proton therapy of five different cases have been analyzed using a statistical method to estimate any systematic error in the data. The high-precision scanning beam log files in line scanning proton therapy system have been validated to be used for off-line scanning beam monitoring and thus as a patient-specific quality assurance method. The use of the machine log files for patient-specific quality assurance would simplify the quality assurance procedure with accurate scanning beam data.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.108-113
• /
• 2022

Purpose: Proton therapy has been used for optimal cancer treatment by adapting its Bragg-peak characteristics. Recently, a tissue-sparing effect was introduced in ultrahigh-dose-rate (FLASH) radiation; the high-energy transmission proton beam is considered in proton FLASH therapy. In measuring high-energy/ultrahigh-dose-rate proton beam, Faraday Cup is considered as a dose-rate-independent measurement device, which has been widely studied. In this paper, the feasibility of the simply designed Faraday Cup (Poor Man's Faraday Cup, PMFC) for transmission proton FLASH therapy is investigated. Methods: In general, Faraday cups were used in the measurement of charged particles. The simply designed Faraday Cup and Advanced Markus ion chamber were used for high-energy proton beam measurement in this study. Results: The PMFC shows an acceptable performance, including accuracy in general dosimetric tests. The PMFC has a linear response to the dose and dose rate. The proton fluence was decreased with the increase of depth until the depth was near the proton beam range. Regarding secondary particles backscatter from PMFC, the effect was negligible. Conclusions: In this study, we performed an experiment to investigate the feasibility of PMFC for measuring high-energy proton beams. The PMFC can be used as a beam stopper and secondary monitoring system for transmission proton beam FLASH therapy.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.144-148
• /
• 2017

When a high density metallic implant is placed in the path of the proton beam, spatial heterogeneity can be caused due to artifacts in three dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scans. These artifacts result in range uncertainty in dose calculation in treatment planning system (TPS). And this uncertainty may cause significant underdosing to the target volume or overdosing to normal tissue beyond the target. In clinical cases, metal implants must be placed in the beam path in order to preserve organ at risk (OARs) and increase target coverage for tumors. So we should introduce Ti-mesh. In this paper, we measured the lateral dose profile for proton beam using an EBT3 film to confirm dosimetric impact of Ti-mesh when the Ti-mesh plate was placed in the proton beam pathway. The effect of Ti-mesh on the proton beam was investigated by comparing the lateral dose profile calculated from TPS with the film-measured value under the same conditions.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.58 no.3
• /
• pp.260-266
• /
• 2013

The study was carried out to determine the gel pasting properties of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Geoncheonheugbori) as affected by different proton beam irradiation. The ${\lambda}max$, blue value, and amylose content were significantly associated with increasing proton beam irradiation. The pasting time in barley flour irradiated with proton beam ranged 0.09 to 0.16 min shorter than nonirradiated barley flour. Gel pasting temperature ranged 57.4 to $60.5^{\circ}C$. Gel pasting temperature in barley flour decreased with increasing proton beam irradiation. Proton beam irradiation caused a significant decrease in the onset temperature (To), peak temperature (Tp), conclusion temperature (Tc) and enthalpy change (${\Delta}H$). Gelatinization range (R) in barley starch was more broaden than that of non-irradiated barley starch. Barley starches gave the strong diffraction peak at around $2{\Theta}$ values$15^{\circ}$, $18^{\circ}$, $20^{\circ}$, and $23^{\circ}$ $2{\Theta}$. Peak intensity tended to increase with increased proton beam irradiation. The granule crystallinity is closely associated with decreased amylose and increased amylopectin component. The crystallinity degree of barley starch irradiated with proton beam was significantly increased and it ranged from 24.9 to 32.9% compared to the non-irradiated barley starches. It might be deduced that proton beam irradiation causes significant changes of properties of starch viscosity in rice, especially at high irradiation of proton beam.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.3
• /
• pp.1016-1023
• /
• 2022

In proton therapy, a highly conformal proton dose can be delivered to the tumor by means of the steep distal dose penumbra at the end of the beam range. The proton beam range, however, is highly sensitive to range uncertainty, which makes accurately locating the proton range in the patient difficult. In-vivo range verification is a method to manage range uncertainty, one of the promising techniques being prompt gamma imaging (PGI). In earlier studies, we proposed gamma electron vertex imaging (GEVI), and constructed a proof-of-principle system. The system successfully demonstrated the GEVI imaging principle for therapeutic proton pencil beams without scanning, but showed some limitations under clinical conditions, particularly for pencil beam scanning proton therapy. In the present study, we upgraded the GEVI system in several aspects and tested the performance improvements such as for range-shift verification in the context of line scanning proton treatment. Specifically, the system showed better performance in obtaining accurate prompt gamma (PG) distributions in the clinical environment. Furthermore, high shift-detection sensitivity and accuracy were shown under various range-shift conditions using line scanning proton beams.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.48 no.1
• /
• pp.189-199
• /
• 2016

Fast neutrons with a broad energy spectrum, with which it is possible to evaluate nuclear data for various research fields such as medical applications and the development of fusion reactors, can be generated by irradiating proton beams on target materials such as beryllium. To generate short-pulse proton beam, we adopted a deflector and slit system. In a simple deflector with slit system, most of the proton beam is blocked by the slit, especially when the beam pulse width is short. Therefore, the available beam current is very low, which results in low neutron flux. In this study, we proposed beam modulation using a buncher cavity to increase the available beam current. The ideal field pattern for the buncher cavity is sawtooth. To make the field pattern similar to a sawtooth waveform, a multiharmonic buncher was adopted. The design process for the multiharmonic buncher includes a beam dynamics calculation and three-dimensional electromagnetic simulation. In addition to the system design for pulsed proton generation, a test bench with a microwave ion source is under preparation to test the performance of the system. The design study results concerning the pulsed proton beam generation and the test bench preparation with some preliminary test results are presented in this paper.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.99-110
• /
• 2020

With hope and concern, the first Korean proton therapy facility was introduced to the National Cancer Center (NCC) in 2007. It added a new chapter to the history of Korean radiation therapy. There have been challenging clinical trials using proton beam therapy, which has seen many impressive results in cancer treatment. Compared to the rapidly increasing number of proton therapy facilities in the world, only one more proton therapy center has been added since 2007 in Korea. The Samsung Medical Center installed a proton therapy facility in 2015. Most radiation oncology practitioners would agree that the physical properties of the proton beam provide a clear advantage in radiation treatment. But the expensive cost of proton therapy facilities is still one of the main reasons that hospitals are reluctant to introduce them in Korea. I herein introduce the history of proton therapy and the cutting edge technology used in proton therapy. In addition, I will cover the role of a medical physicist in proton therapy and the future prospects of proton therapy, based on personal experience in participating in proton therapy programs from the beginning at the NCC.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.54 no.6
• /
• pp.2213-2220
• /
• 2022

The maximum dose delivery at the end of the beam range provides the main advantage of using proton therapy. The range of the proton beam, however, is subject to uncertainties, which limit the clinical benefits of proton therapy and, therefore, accurate in vivo verification of the beam range is desirable. For the beam range verification in spot scanning proton therapy, a prompt gamma detection system, called as gamma electron vertex imaging (GEVI) system, is under development and, in the present study, the performance of the GEVI system in spot scanning proton therapy was predicted with Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations in terms of shift detection sensitivity, accuracy and precision. The simulation results indicated that the GEVI system can detect the interfractional range shifts down to 1 mm shift for the cases considered in the present study. The results also showed that both the evaluated accuracy and precision were less than 1-2 mm, except for the scenarios where we consider all spots in the energy layer for a local shifting. It was very encouraging results that the accuracy and precision satisfied the smallest distal safety margin of the investigated beam energy (i.e., 4.88 mm for 134.9 MeV).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
• /
• 2004.11a
• /
• pp.69-71
• /
• 2004

The proton therapy of radiation therapy methods using Bragg Peak which is proton beam's characteristic dose distribution can give a normal tissue lower dose than cancer, comparing with the former existing radiation therapy methods. For exact treatment and patient' safety, we need to know proton beam's position in body, but a proton beam completely stops at treatment region and proton beam's range is uncertainly made by the variety of organs having each different density, so we aren't able to find a proton beam' position by suitable methods yet. With Monte Carlo Computing Method, as a result that we had simulated prompt gamma detection system using correlation of proton beam's absorbed dose distribution about water and prompt gamma distribution by nuclear interaction occurred by collisions of proton and water's hydrogen atoms, we could confirm that a proton beam's position was able to detect by using simulated prompt gamma detection system in body on the real-time