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'''Welcome to the UCL High Energy Physics Group proton therapy Wiki.'''
== Welcome to the UCL High Energy Physics Group Proton Beam Therapy Wiki. ==


This contains information on the various proton therapy-related experiments and software in use by the UCL [http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/pbt/ High Energy Physics] and [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/research/protons Proton and Advanced RadioTherapy (PART)] research groups.
This contains information on the various proton therapy-related experiments and software in use by the UCL [http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/pbt/ High Energy Physics] and [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/research/protons Proton and Advanced RadioTherapy (PART)] research groups.


This is subdivided into the following research areas:
== [[Software|Software and Simulations]] ==


* [[Proton Calorimetry]]: Development of a fast, accurate calorimeter module for high resolution proton energy measurements.
The initial purpose of this Wiki was to make the setup and use of software used for proton therapy-related simulations easier for less experience users, primarily the [[Software/Geant4|Geant4 simulation package]].
* [[Software]]: Instructions on installing and using the various pieces of software for simulation and analysis, including [[Software/Geant4|Geant4]], [[Software/Fluka|FLUKA]] and [[Software/Root|ROOT]].


== Proton Beam Therapy ==
The following software is available for use on the [[Software/Geant4/UCL HEP Cluster|UCL HEP Linux Cluster]]:


[[File:Bouygues_UCLH4_Phase-4-PBT-Entrance-small.jpg|Public entrance to UCLH Proton Beam Therapy facility on the corner of Grafton Way and Huntley Street.|left|340px]]
* [[Software/Geant4|Geant4]].  Geant4 is a toolkit for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter. Its areas of application include high energy, nuclear and accelerator physics, as well as studies in medical and space science.
<!-- * [[Software/FLUKA|FLUKA]].  FLUKA is a general purpose simulation tool for calculations of particle transport and interactions with matter, covering an extended range of applications spanning from proton and electron accelerator shielding to target design, calorimetry, activation, dosimetry, detector design, Accelerator Driven Systems, cosmic rays, neutrino physics, radiotherapy etc. -->
* [[Software/ROOT|ROOT]]. ROOT is a modular scientific software framework. It provides all the functionalities needed to deal with big data processing, statistical analysis, visualisation and storage.  It is used for the analysis of data produced with the Monte Carlo simulations packages described above.
* [[Software/BDSIM|BDSIM]].  BDSIM is a Geant4 extension toolkit for simulation of particle transport in accelerator beamlines. It allows an accelerator to be described by text input file and Geant4 geometry is automatically created based on libraries of generic components. It provides fast in-vacuum thick-lens tracking as well as the full physics processes of Geant4.


More details of the available software can be found on the [[Software|PBTWiki Software page]].


Modern cancer treatment is largely a combination of 3 techniques &mdash; chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery &mdash; each of which has associated advantages and drawbacks.
== Research ==
Conventional radiotherapy utilises X-rays with energies from 6&nbsp;MeV to 18&nbsp;MeV to irradiate cancerous regions of the body from multiple directions: the most modern variants of Intensity Modulated RadioTherapy (IMRT) provide a continuous intensity modulated X-ray beam through a full 360&deg; arc, maximising the dose to the tumour whilst minimising the dose to the surrounding tissue.


The drawback of conventional radiotherapy is the amount of dose delivered outside the desired treatment region.
UCL runs a number of research projects related to proton therapy. Most of these are described in more detail on the [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/research/protons Proton and Advanced RadioTherapy (PART) research group page].
At the energies used for radiotherapy, the peak energy loss for photons occurs within a couple of centimetres of the surface of the skin, with a slow reduction in energy loss as a function of depth.
This unfavourable dose distribution is balanced somewhat by the multiple beam approach used in IMRT, but still leads to significant dose deposition in otherwise healthy tissue.
This has particular significance in the treatment of deep-lying tumours in the head, neck and central nervous system, particularly for children whose bodies are still developing and are particularly susceptible to long-term radiation damage.


[[File:BraggPeakWikipedia.png|The dose produced by a native and by a modified proton beam in passing through tissue, compared to the absorption of a photon or x-ray beam|right|340px|link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bragg_peak]]
More detailed information is available on the following research projects:


Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is a more effective alternative to conventional radiotherapy, where high energy protons (60-250&nbsp;MeV) are used in place of X-rays.
* [[Proton Calorimetry|Proton Calorimetry]]: Development of a fast, accurate calorimeter module for high resolution proton energy measurements.
The advantage of PBT is a consequence of the markedly different dose deposition profile of protons: as a result of the Bragg Peak most of the energy is deposited in the [http://www.nature.com/nrclinonc/journal/v1/n2/full/ncponc0090.html last few millimetres of the proton path].
* [[Clatterbridge|Clatterbridge Simulations]]: Simulations of the beamline for the 60MeV ocular proton therapy beam at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
This allows a precise tuning of the delivered dose through appropriate selection of the proton beam energy and leads to much lower doses of radiation outside the target volume.
* [[Radiotherapy|QA For Radiotherapy]]: Quality Assurance measurements for radiotherapy PDD and Output Factor measurements using plastic scintillator.
Large-scale PBT facilities for cancer treatment are a new undertaking in the UK.
* [[Quality Assurance|Quality Assurance]]: A summary of existing systems used for machine and patient QA in clinical proton therapy facilities.
The UK's only operational PBT centre is the [http://www.clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology on the Wirral]: with a 62&nbsp;MeV cyclotron and a penetration depth less than 4&nbsp;cm, [http://www.clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk/patients/treatment-and-support/proton-therapy treatment is limited to eye tumours].
* [[Plasma Wakefield|Plasma Wakefield Acceleration]]: Simulations of the proton driven plasma wakefield experiment, AWAKE.


Two new centres based at [http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/aboutus/NewDev/NCF/Pages/Home.aspx University College Hospital in London (UCLH)] and the [http://www.christie.nhs.uk/services/i-to-q/proton-beam-therapy/ Christie Hospital in Manchester] are currently under development.
An [[Photo Archive|Archive of Photos]] taken at various facilities during experimental runs is also available.
These will treat a total of 1,500 patients a year, primarily those with the most challenging tumours of the head and neck and the central nervous system.


To support these new treatment centres, UCL is engaged in a number of research programmes within both [http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/ High Energy Physics] and the [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/ UCL Dept. of Medical Physics] to improve the quality of proton therapy treatment:
== [[Background]] ==


* [http://www.ucl.ac.uk/medphys/research/radphys/research/imaging/protonRad Proton Radiography] and Proton CT to provide better quality imaging.
For information on the background to proton beam therapy treatment and research at UCL, please see the [[Background|Background Information page]].
* Proton and neutron dosimetry to maximise the clinical dose whilst minimising the damage to sensitive tissue.
* Throughput optimisation to enable a greater number of patients to be treated and greater flexibility of accelerator scheduling.
* Accelerator design and development for proton therapy.


''For more information on Proton Beam Therapy research at UCL, please contact'' [http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/people/mugshot.shtml?id=sjolly Dr. Simon Jolly].
A useful table of [[Proton ranges|proton ranges for clinical energies]] is also available.
 
''For more information on Proton Beam Therapy research at UCL, please contact'' [http://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/people/mugshot.shtml?id=jolly Prof. Simon Jolly].

Latest revision as of 12:43, 24 July 2024

Welcome to the UCL High Energy Physics Group Proton Beam Therapy Wiki.

This contains information on the various proton therapy-related experiments and software in use by the UCL High Energy Physics and Proton and Advanced RadioTherapy (PART) research groups.

Software and Simulations

The initial purpose of this Wiki was to make the setup and use of software used for proton therapy-related simulations easier for less experience users, primarily the Geant4 simulation package.

The following software is available for use on the UCL HEP Linux Cluster:

  • Geant4. Geant4 is a toolkit for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter. Its areas of application include high energy, nuclear and accelerator physics, as well as studies in medical and space science.
  • ROOT. ROOT is a modular scientific software framework. It provides all the functionalities needed to deal with big data processing, statistical analysis, visualisation and storage. It is used for the analysis of data produced with the Monte Carlo simulations packages described above.
  • BDSIM. BDSIM is a Geant4 extension toolkit for simulation of particle transport in accelerator beamlines. It allows an accelerator to be described by text input file and Geant4 geometry is automatically created based on libraries of generic components. It provides fast in-vacuum thick-lens tracking as well as the full physics processes of Geant4.

More details of the available software can be found on the PBTWiki Software page.

Research

UCL runs a number of research projects related to proton therapy. Most of these are described in more detail on the Proton and Advanced RadioTherapy (PART) research group page.

More detailed information is available on the following research projects:

  • Proton Calorimetry: Development of a fast, accurate calorimeter module for high resolution proton energy measurements.
  • Clatterbridge Simulations: Simulations of the beamline for the 60MeV ocular proton therapy beam at the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.
  • QA For Radiotherapy: Quality Assurance measurements for radiotherapy PDD and Output Factor measurements using plastic scintillator.
  • Quality Assurance: A summary of existing systems used for machine and patient QA in clinical proton therapy facilities.
  • Plasma Wakefield Acceleration: Simulations of the proton driven plasma wakefield experiment, AWAKE.

An Archive of Photos taken at various facilities during experimental runs is also available.

Background

For information on the background to proton beam therapy treatment and research at UCL, please see the Background Information page.

A useful table of proton ranges for clinical energies is also available.

For more information on Proton Beam Therapy research at UCL, please contact Prof. Simon Jolly.

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