Recent progress of a superconducting rotating-gantry for carbon-ion radiotherapy

The rationale for a carbon ion radiation therapy facility in Australia

“…NIRS developed a superconducting magnet gantry design, clinical from 2017, roughly halving the comparable size and weight. 146 Further improvement and higher magnetic field strength gave an even smaller system, by around one third again, for the Yamagata centre in 2021, beginning to be comparable to a conventional PBT gantry. 22,31,44,145 A different approach to gantry-less rooms has recently (re)gained interest, using vertical positioning systems (treatment chairs) and vertical imaging systems.…”

“…Continuous improvements in design, construction and capability of accelerators and other PT technology promise to decrease the size and capital cost of facilities. 22,27,[36][37][38][144][145][146][147][148] Figure 5a illustrates the layout of the MedAustron hybrid (CIRT and PBT) particle therapy facility. 149 For accelerator, beam lines, three treatment rooms and a research room, its footprint is approximately 50 m 9 140 m, a similar area for these components to the original multi-ion NIRS clinical facility with the same number of rooms.…”

“…It uses conventional magnet systems, is 25 m long, 13 m in diameter and weighs 600 tons. NIRS developed a superconducting magnet gantry design, clinical from 2017, roughly halving the comparable size and weight 146 . Further improvement and higher magnetic field strength gave an even smaller system, by around one third again, for the Yamagata centre in 2021, beginning to be comparable to a conventional PBT gantry 22,31,44,145 .…”

“…Continuous improvements in design, construction and capability of accelerators and other PT technology promise to decrease the size and capital cost of facilities 22,27,36–38,144–148 . Figure 5a illustrates the layout of the MedAustron hybrid (CIRT and PBT) particle therapy facility 149 .…”

Rotating Gantries Provide Individualized Beam Arrangements for Charged Particle Therapy

“…However, the added cost and technical complexities in constructing and maintaining rotating gantries have limited their use, especially in CIRT centers [ 5 , 6 ]. As a result, of the 13 CIRT centers in the world currently in operation as of June 2022, only three utilize rotating gantries: the Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center in Heidelberg, Germany, which has a gantry weighing 600 tons, the QST Hospital in Chiba, Japan, which has a superconducting rotating gantry weighing about 300 tons, and the East Japan Heavy Ion Center at Yamagata University Hospital in Yamagata, Japan, with a superconducting rotating gantry weighing about 200 tons [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Two CIRT centers are currently in development in South Korea that will employ a combination of fixed beam and rotating gantry systems; one at Yonsei University Hospital in Seoul and one at Seoul National University Hospital in Busan, and these centers will employ the same gantry system used at Yamagata University Hospital [ 1 ].…”