Overview of research and therapy facilities for radiobiological experimental work in particle therapy. Report from the European Particle Therapy Network radiobiology group.

Overview of research and therapy facilities for radiobiological experimental work in particle therapy. Report from the European Particle Therapy Network radiobiology group. Radiother Oncol. 2018 Apr 24;: Authors: Dosanjh M, Jones B, Pawelke J, Pruschy M, Sørensen BS Abstract Particle therapy (PT) as cancer treatment, using protons or heavier ions, can provide a more favorable dose distribution compared to X-rays. While the physical characteristics of particle radiation have been the aim of intense research, less focus has been placed on the actual biological responses arising from particle irradiation. One of the biggest challenges for proton radiobiology is the RBE, with an increasing concern that the clinically-applied generic RBE-value of 1.1 is an approximation, as RBE is a complex quantity, depending on both biological and physical parameters, such as dose, LET, cellular and tissue radiobiological characteristics, as well as the endpoints being studied. Most of the available RBE data derive from in vitro experiments, with very limited in vivo data available, especially in late-reacting tissues, which provide the main constraints and influence the quality of life endpoints in radiotherapy. There is a need for systematic, large-scale studies to thoroughly establish the biology of particle radiation in a number of different experimental models in order to refine biophysical mathematical models that can potentially be used to guide...
Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Radiother Oncol Source Type: research