Application of high-energy heavy charged particles in medicine

Proton beams in radiotherapy

“…From the very beginning of proton therapy, attempts to develop tools and methods of proton irradiation to treat all the diseases mentioned above were made by physicians from many countries and first of all from Russia [15]. Limited but almost always successful clinical results and awareness of the fact that further progress is impossible outside large specialized oncology hospitals brought about a new phase of development.…”

“…The most advanced clinical experience was gained at the cyclotron of the Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory (Boston, MA, USA), 37.2% of patients, and at the synchrotron of the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (Moscow, Russian Federation), 14.7% of patients [13]. The work at ITEP was initiated by a prominent theoretical physicist, I Ya Pomeranchuck, and by oncologists N N Blokhin and A I Ruderman [15].…”

Manifestation and Origin of the Isotope Effect

“…Its measured (see below) mass is only 34.96995 amu. therefore, the mass defect and binding energy of 35 17 Cl are ∆ = 0.32014389 amu. E B = 0.32014389 x 931.5 35 = 8.520 MeV/nucleon (3) and in common sense the binding energy is determined by next relation E B = Zm p + Nm n -B/c 2 (4), where B/c 2 is the actual nuclear mass.…”

“…Nuclear energies, on the other hand, are millions of electron-volts and their effects on atomic mass are easily detectable. For example, the theoretical mass of 35 17 Cl is 17 x 1.00782503 + 18 x 1.00866491 = 35.28899389 amu. Its measured (see below) mass is only 34.96995 amu.…”

“…In some cases radiation can be used to treat diseased organs, or tumors (see, e.g. 34,35]). Five Nobel Laureates have been intimately involved with the use of radioactive tracers in medicine.…”