Proton therapy is a type of radiation treatment using external beam of heavy particles: uses high doses of energy to directly hit the target while preserving the organs surrounding the tumor.
The advantage of proton therefore consists in the fact that protons release their energy at greater depths: the dose increases in the moment in which the particle penetrates into the fabric but releases its energy quickly to the Bragg peak, beyond which tends to zero.
Released energy to the surrounding organs will therefore be lower than in conventional radiation therapy, thus avoiding damage stochastic.
The disbursement of total dose for each treatment is much lower compared to the standard procedures. To accelerate the protons it is used a cyclotron (or synchrotron ) that, requiring a high diameter to generate high-energy, requires large spaces.
IBA has therefore created a new compact proton therapy system, the PROTEUS ONE . It is a system enclosed in a small bunker formed by a gantry that is one third compared to the traditional ones, associated with an equally small cyclotron .
This innovation reduces costs substantially, minimizes the space and shortens the time needed for the construction of a proton therapy center.
In addition , PROTEUS ONE is integrated with a CT scanner Cone-Beam, which, through the rotation around the patient, allows to obtain a greater detail of the area to be subjected to radiation treatment.
Proteus One – Source: iba-protontherapy.com