Radiation therapy is the most common treatment for cancer. It uses high-energy particles or waves, such as x-rays, gamma rays, electron beams, protons, carbon ions, to "kill" or "damage" cancer cells. There is a growing interest in the use of ion-beams (protons, carbon ions) for cancer therapy. The principal benefit of ion-beams are there finite range (or depth) in tissue, known as Bragg peak, where a significant amount of the radiation is deposited at the end of the track where the ions stop. The Bragg peak guarantees that healthy organs distal (deeper) to this peak receive NO radiation, reducing significantly side effects. However, due to treatment planning and beam delivery uncertainties, it is not possible to place accurately the Bragg peak on the distal end of the tumor. Thus, we voluntarily irradiate healthy surrounding organs to guarantee the tumor receives the correct radiation dose. The Bragg peak “uncertainty” reduces the clinical potential of ion-beam radiotherapy, because of the additional radiation given to healthy organs. The talk presents novel imaging technologies that are being developed to reduce the Bragg peak positioning "uncertainties" for ion-beam radiotherapy, such as using Helium beam imaging and prompt gamma spectroscopy.

Prof. Joao Seco is a Professor of Physics at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and is the head of the department biomedical imaging in radiation oncology at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). He has extensive experience in particle imaging and therapy, having developed several imaging technologies for reducing the Bragg peak positioning uncertainty. Presently his group at DKFZ focuses on the concept of personalized ion beam therapy, where better Bragg peak control within patients will allow a simultaneous reduction of the radiation side-effects and the boosting of the cancer with more radiation.