Precision, Speed and Flexibility: New techniques for ion beam radiotherapy

A major role in cancer treatment is currently played by radiation therapy. It aims to deliver sufficient radiation dose to the tumor and simultaneously avoid the damage of the surrounding healthy tissue. Radiotherapy with ion beams, as offered by the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center, is a new modality for cancer treatment with the advantage of the extremely precise dose deposition, even to targets close to sensitive organs.

Simultaneously, carbon ion beam posses a high damaging potential, what makes ion beam treatments so challenging; e.g. the treatment of tumors in moving organs (lung etc.) is difficult if not impossible. The majority of technical approaches to deal with these challenges have been adapted from photon therapy. Better control of the dose application would make it possible to exploit the full potential of ion beams, what can lead to a prolongation of the patient`s life and an improvement of its quality.

This Symposium is planned to follow the Hengstberger Symposium which took place on 23.-25.9.2014, due to the large success of the event. In 2016 the focus broadens to include the newest techniques both, on treatment planning and the new radiation detection methods. The following main topics will be discussed during the symposium:

◆ Visualization of target position during the therapy which would enable irradiation of tumors in moving locations
◆ Fast, adaptive treatment planning with an accuracy of about 1 mm
◆ Non-invasive techniques for online dose determination in the patient’s body during the irradiation
◆ Future dedicated concepts for radiation detectors and fast data analysis

To reach significant progress in these challenges, interdisciplinary approach is inevitable. Therefore, similarly as last year, the aim of the symposium is to bring together scientists working in different fields: medical physics, radiation detection and detector development for aviation and outer space, nuclear physics, radiation oncology (physicians) and radiation biology.

Contact:

Dr. Mária Martišíková
Universität Heidelberg, Radiologische Klinik
Büro: am DKFZ, Abteilung Medizinische Physik in der Strahlentherapie
Im Neuenheimer Feld 280 69120 Heidelberg
Tel.: +49 6221 42 2441
Fax: +49 6221  42 2655
Email: m.martisikova@dkfz.de