The advent of Graphics Processing Units (GPU) has prompted the development of Monte Carlo (MC) algorithms that can significantly reduce the simulation time with respect to standard MC algorithms based on Central Processing Unit (CPU) hardware. The possibility to evaluate a complete treatment plan within minutes, instead of hours, paves the way for many clinical applications where the time-factor is important. FRED (Fast paRticle thErapy Dose evaluator) is a software that exploits the GPU power to recalculate and optimise ion beam treatment plans. The main goal when developing the FRED physics model was to balance accuracy, calculation time and GPU execution guidelines. Nowadays, FRED is already used as a quality assurance tool in Maastricht and Krakow proton clinical centers and as a research tool in several clinical and research centers across Europe. Lately the core software has been updated including a model of carbon ions interactions with matter. The implementation is phenomenological and based on carbon fragmentation data currently available. The model has been tested against the MC FLUKA software, commonly used in particle therapy, and a good agreement was found. In this paper, the new FRED data-driven model for carbon ion fragmentation will be presented together with the validation tests against the FLUKA MC software. The results will be discussed in the context of FRED clinical applications to 12C ions treatment planning.
Different therapies are adopted for the treatment of deep seated tumours in combination or as an alternative to surgical removal or chemotherapy: radiotherapy with photons (RT), particle therapy (PT) with protons or even heavier ions like 12C, are now available in clinical centres. In addition to these irradiation modalities, the use of Very High Energy Electron (VHEE) beams (100–200 MeV) has been suggested in the past, but the diffusion of that technique was delayed due to the needed space and budget, with respect to standard photon devices. These disadvantages were not paired by an increased therapeutic efficacy, at least when comparing to proton or carbon ion beams. In this contribution we investigate how recent developments in electron beam therapy could reshape the treatments of deep seated tumours. In this respect we carefully explored the application of VHEE beams to the prostate cancer, a well-known and studied example of deep seated tumour currently treated with high efficacy both using RT and PT. The VHEE Treatment Planning System was obtained by means of an accurate Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of the electrons interactions with the patient body. A simple model of the FLASH effect (healthy tissues sparing at ultra-high dose rates), has been introduced and the results have been compared with conventional RT. The study demonstrates that VHEE beams, even in absence of a significant FLASH effect and with a reduced energy range (70–130 MeV) with respect to implementations already explored in literature, could be a good alternative to standard RT, even in the framework of technological developments that are nowadays affordable.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.