Radiological Centre based on Inr Proton Linac

Abstract

The construction of a new radiological centre, based on INR proton linac in Troitsk near Moscow, is now in progress. Its 1-st stage with one horizontal-beam treatment room and one conventional-therapy treatment room will be completed and put in action during one year. The proton linac energy variation (70 – 250 MeV) and the patient chair design will allow to treat any tumors from eye tumors up to 10 cm wide deep-sited tumors. The boost method, combining conventional radiotherapy and proton therapy, will increase the effectiveness of linac work. Very thin multichannel ion chambers, the patient chair, a new individual beam formation system, a digital x-ray position control system and others original systems were developed in INR for the purposes of the centre. On the first stage, the dose will be delivered by the passive scattering method. However, the linac beam parameters are suitable for the beam scanning as well. The next stage of the centre may include a non-horizontal beam treatment room (gantry or vertical beam) and the beam scanning. The proton accelerator and the beam channel were designed for the simultaneous acceleration and delivering of several beams. This allows to combine the patient treatment with the isotope production and scientific work, for example, on neutron sources. One of possible applications of the parallel beams is the neutron capture radiotherapy with the help of gadolinium or other targeting materials since the neutron flux may be sufficiently high. Taking into account that several radioisotopes, including short living ones, may be produced and applied in the same place, the INR centre may become a really universal radiological centre for the practical radiotherapy and researches in this field.