Scientific and Technological Development of Hadrontherapy

TL;DR

Hadrontherapy is an advanced cancer treatment using charged particle beams like protons and carbon ions, offering precise targeting and improved outcomes, with ongoing technological innovations and expanding clinical applications.

Contribution

This paper reviews the current status and future perspectives of hadrontherapy, highlighting technological advancements and clinical results with proton and carbon ion therapies.

Findings

Proton therapy is widely adopted in clinical practice.

Carbon ion therapy shows promise for radio-resistant tumors.

Technological innovations are enhancing treatment precision.

Abstract

Hadrontherapy is a novel technique of cancer radiation therapy which employs beams of charged hadrons, protons and carbon ions in particular. Due to their physical and radiobiological properties, they allow one to obtain a more conformal treatment with respect to photons used in conventional radiation therapy, sparing better the healthy tissues located in proximity of the tumour and allowing a higher control of the disease. Hadrontherapy is the direct application of research in high energy physics, making use of specifically conceived particle accelerators and detectors. Protons can be considered today a very important tool in clinical practice due to the several hospital-based centres in operation and to the continuously increasing number of facilities proposed worldwide. Very promising results have been obtained with carbon ion beams, especially in the treatment of specific radio resistant tumours. To optimize the use of charged hadron beams in cancer therapy, a continuous technological challenge is leading to the conception and to the development of innovative methods and instruments. The present status of hadrontherapy is reviewed together with the future scientific and technological perspectives of this discipline.