Synchrotrons for Hadrontherapy

Abstract

Since 1990, when the world's first hospital-based proton therapy center opened in Loma Linda, California, interest in dedicated proton and carbon ion therapy facilities has been growing steadily. Today, many proton therapy centers are in operation, but the number of centers offering carbon ion therapy is still very low. This difference reflects the fact that protons are well accepted by the medical community, whereas radiotherapy with carbon ions is still experimental. Furthermore, accelerators for carbon ions are larger, more complicated and more expensive than those for protons only. This article describes the accelerator performance required for hadrontherapy and how this is realized, with particular emphasis on carbon ion synchrotrons.