Fast PET Dosimetry for Proton Therapy

描述（由申请人提供）：美国最近批准质子治疗的报销，引发了质子治疗设施建设的热潮。质子治疗区别于常规的（例如，光子）放射治疗的能力，备用组织超过质子束的布拉格峰。为了获得最佳剂量，质子布拉格峰的严格公差必须与靶点的精确定位相匹配，同时确保接受此类手术的患者数量不断增加。患者数量的增加严重限制了准确定位和定位患者体内目标的时间。质子治疗的常规剂量测定方法（即，测量射束电流）不提供关于输送到肿瘤的剂量的直接信息，并且产生了对直接可视化真实的剂量输送的方法的期望。几个研究者已经提出并实施了体内激活的正电子发射化合物的检测以监测带电粒子治疗中的剂量递送（例如，质子、碳离子）。自1998年以来，德国的一个碳疗法设施已经安装了一台双头在线PET照相机样机。由于存在若干技术问题，包括图像中的低计数统计，以及安装PET扫描仪以使其不干扰射束输送的困难，该创新尚未在其他站点复制。我们建议采用新的PET探测器配置，提供高计数收集效率和额外的灵活性，为技术人员瞄准质子束。我们的目标是对在线PET监测引入硬件和软件改进，以便提高图像质量并在线实施校正策略以在单次给药期间立即反馈，无论该给药是分次系列的一部分还是单次激发（即，放射外科）。公共卫生相关性：相关性最近在美国质子治疗的报销批准创造了质子治疗设施建设的热潮。质子治疗能够比其他方法更严格地提供放射治疗，从而需要更准确的靶向和监测方法。我们正在建造新型的PET扫描仪，它将驻留在质子治疗套件中，并将提供更快速和准确的反馈来指导质子治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The recent reimbursement approval for proton therapy in the United States has created a boom in construction of proton therapy facilities. Proton therapy is distinguished from conventional (e.g., photon) radiotherapy by the ability to spare tissue beyond the proton beam's Bragg peak. For optimal dosing, the tight tolerances of the proton Bragg peak must be matched by exact localization of targets, while at the same assuring an increasing volume of patients undergoing such procedures. This increased volume of patients threatens to severely constrain the time available to accurately localize and immobilize targets in the patient. Conventional dosimetry approaches to proton therapy (i.e., that measure beam current) do not provide direct information about dose delivered to the tumor, and create a desire for methods of directly visualizing dose delivery in real time. Several investigators have proposed and implemented detection of in vivo activated positron- emitting compounds to monitor dose delivery in charged particle therapy (e.g., protons, carbon ions). A prototype dual-head on-line PET camera has been in place at a carbon therapy facility in Germany since 1998. This innovation has not been duplicated at other sites because of several technical issues, including low count statistics in the image, and difficulties in mounting the PET scanner so that it does not interfere with beam delivery. We propose to employ novel PET detector configurations that provide high count collection efficiency and additional flexibility for the technologist to aim the proton beam. We aim to introduce hardware and software improvements to on-line PET monitoring, in order to improve image quality and to implement a corrective strategy online for immediate feedback during a single administration, whether that administration is part of a fractionated series or is a single- shot (i.e., radiosurgery). PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: RELEVANCE The recent reimbursement approval for proton therapy in the United States has created a boom in construction of proton therapy facilities. Proton therapy is capable of tighter delivery of radiation therapy than other methods, creating a need for more accurate targeting and monitoring methods. We are building novel PET scanners that will reside in the proton therapy suite, and will which provide more rapid and accurate feedback to guide proton therapy.