Optimization of synchrotron based ion beam therapy facilities for treatment time reduction, options and the MedAustron development roadmap

Abstract

A faster treatment reduces the risk of intra-fraction movement of organs, offers a more comfortable treatment to the patient, allows to treat lesion of larger volumes in a reasonable time and most of all expands the capacity of the facility. This work presents possible machine upgrades for synchrotron based ion beam therapy centers to shorten the irradiation time. The expected delivery times for each scenario are simulated for the study case of proton beams of MedAustron. The second part of the work focuses on the MedAustron development roadmap, where recently increase of ring fillings and delivered intensities were implemented for proton treatments achieving an average irradiation time of ~50% since start of operation.

Keywords: Ion beam therapy; Optimization; Slow extraction; Treatment time.