Summary

The common gamma radiotherapy process lacks accuracy when it comes to analyze prostate, lung, head and neck, liver, esophagus and brain cancers. This project will show the benefits of using TOF-PET in Proton Therapy to increase the performance of Proton Therapy equipment, allowing a more accurate radiation.

The proton therapy used in cancer therapy produces short-lived positron-emitting radioisotopes, such as 15O, 13N and 11C, that can be detected by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging. The strength and time dependence of this image allows assessing the efficacy of the proton treatment in-vivo.

Due to geometrical constraints, the in-beam PET scanning in proton radiation therapy is very difficult to achieve since it is impossible to fully surround the patient with a ring of detectors, as is normally required in PET scanning. However, the use of PET, together with very good TOF, allows obtaining better PET images, with partial angular coverage around the patient.

Once the PET scanner is built, the researchers will use phantom head models to ascertain and verify isotope production maps by a proton beam at MD Anderson. Computer simulations will predict the distribution of the positron annihilation events that should be observed. Any mismatch with the observation will provide feedback to adjust the beam.

The project is going to demonstrate the diagnostic value of the state-of-the-art PET scanner featuring excellent position resolution and Time-of-Flight (TOF) to register positron-emitting radionuclides during and immediately after the proton irradiation.