Stopping power monitoring during proton therapy by means of prompt gamma timing: first experimental results with a homogeneous phantom

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the first experimental application of prompt gamma timing (SER-PGT) in proton therapy, successfully estimating stopping power and range shifts in a homogeneous phantom, which could improve treatment accuracy.

Contribution

It introduces and validates SER-PGT as a novel method for real-time monitoring of stopping power and particle range during proton therapy.

Findings

Achieved 8% average error in stopping power estimation

Successfully identified a 3 mm range shift in a phantom with a 4 cm air-gap

Demonstrated feasibility of using SER-PGT for range and stopping power recovery

Abstract

Proton therapy's full potential is limited by uncertainties that prevent optimal dose distribution. Monitoring techniques can reduce these uncertainties and enable adaptive treatment planning. Spatiotemporal Emission Reconstruction from Prompt-Gamma Timing (SER-PGT) is a promising method that provides insights into both particle range and stopping power, whose calculation would normally require knowledge about patient tissue properties that cannot be directly measured. We present the first experimental results using a 226.9 MeV synchrotron-proton beam impinging on a homogeneous phantom at a sub-clinical intensity (2 - 4 x 10^7 pps). SER-PGT uses data from a multi-detector setup: a thin and segmented Low Gain Avalanche Diode for proton detection and Lanthanum Bromide-based crystals for photon detection. The estimated stopping power profile showed an 8% +- 3% average error compared to NIST PSTAR values, and 2% +- 2% deviation relative to water at 100 MeV. Range assessment in a phantom with a 4 cm air-gap successfully identified the range shift with a 3 mm standard deviation. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using SER-PGT to recover both range and stopping power information through particle kinematics and PGT measurements.