Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
S
UMMARY
Protons have come of age as a clinical tool. They have moved from
the laboratory to the clinic, and from an obscure activity to a real
option for hospitals wishing to provide the most advanced care
for their cancer patients. The routine implementation of intensity-
modulated proton therapy will place proton beam therapy near the
physical limit of its possibilities. Nevertheless, as I have tried to point
out, there remain important challenges; these should make proton
therapy a fruitful field of research for physicists for some time to
come.
The physical characteristics of protons dictate that the total dose
delivered to a patient will always be reduced in comparison to
photons. Thus, protons will almost always produce a physically
superior dose distribution to photons - when a comparable
sophistication of technique is used. The very important, and quite
controversial, question is whether, and to what extent, this physical
improvement will translate into a significant clinical advantage.
