Peer-reviewed
Recent advances in light ion radiation therapy
The fast development of energy- and intensity-modulated radiation therapy during the last two decades using photon and electron beams has when implemented resulted in a considerable improvement of radiation therapy, particularly if combined with radiobiologically based treatment optimization techniques. This has made intensity-modulated electron and photon beams as powerful as today's uniform dose proton therapy. To be able to cure also the most advanced hypoxic and radiation-resistant tumors of complex local spread, intensity-modulated light ion beams are really the ultimate tool and in clinical practice 2 to 3 times less expensive per patient treated than proton therapy. This development and the recent development of advanced tumor diagnostics based on PET-CT imaging of the tumor cell density open the field for new powerful radiobiologically based treatment optimization methods. The ultimate step is to use the unique radiobiologic and dose distributional advantages of light ion beams for truly optimized bioeffect planning where the integral three-dimensional dose delivery and tumor cell survival can be monitored by PET-CT imaging and corrected by biologically based adaptive therapy optimization methods
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