Carbon Ion Radiotherapy

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Therapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2023) | Viewed by 3874

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Interests: particle therapy; beam delivery; accelerator physics; image-guided proton therapy
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Guest Editor
Biophysics Department, GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
Interests: proton beams for medical applications; patient imaging
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon-ion radiotherapy is a cancer radiation therapy modality with unique physical and radiobiological properties. The localized dose deposition at the end of the ion range combined with low lateral scattering permits sharp dose gradients for deep-seated tumors. Meanwhile, an enhanced therapeutic effect can be achieved due to high ionization density and complex DNA damage. This offers the potential for effective therapy of patients with poor prognosis.

Carbon-ion therapy is challenged by the high cost of facilities, increased biological uncertainty and the need for more exact delivery to realize the dosimetric advantage in clinical reality. While the number of carbon ion therapy facilities remains low, the interest in this modality is increasing, and new centers are under construction or in the planning stage, including in the US. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to promote carbon ion radiotherapy and provide an overview of current efforts to prove its biological effectiveness, improve treatment delivery, and reduce the cost of treatment.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions on the following topics:

  • The efficacy of carbon ion therapy;
  • Biological effects and radiobiological modeling;
  • Innovative medical accelerators;
  • Novel treatment delivery concepts;
  • Beam delivery and monitoring improvements;
  • Cost optimization.

Dr. Konrad P. Nesteruk
Dr. Christian Graeff
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • carbon-ion radiotherapy
  • clinical outcome
  • radiobiology
  • beam delivery
  • cost-effectiveness

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5070 KiB  
Article
Planning Strategy to Optimize the Dose-Averaged LET Distribution in Large Pelvic Sarcomas/Chordomas Treated with Carbon-Ion Radiotherapy
by Ankita Nachankar, Mansure Schafasand, Antonio Carlino, Eugen Hug, Markus Stock, Joanna Góra and Piero Fossati
Cancers 2023, 15(19), 4903; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15194903 - 9 Oct 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1347
Abstract
To improve outcomes in large sarcomas/chordomas treated with CIRT, there has been recent interest in LET optimization. We evaluated 22 pelvic sarcoma/chordoma patients treated with CIRT [large: HD-CTV ≥ 250 cm3 (n = 9), small: HD-CTV < 250 cm3 (n = [...] Read more.
To improve outcomes in large sarcomas/chordomas treated with CIRT, there has been recent interest in LET optimization. We evaluated 22 pelvic sarcoma/chordoma patients treated with CIRT [large: HD-CTV ≥ 250 cm3 (n = 9), small: HD-CTV < 250 cm3 (n = 13)], DRBE|LEM-I = 73.6 (70.4–73.6) Gy (RBE)/16 fractions, using the local effect model-I (LEM-I) optimization and modified-microdosimetric kinetic model (mMKM) recomputation. We observed that to improve high-LETd distribution in large tumors, at least 27 cm3 (low-LETd region) of HD-CTV should receive LETd of ≥33 keV/µm (p < 0.05). Hence, LETd optimization using ‘distal patching’ was explored in a treatment planning setting (not implemented clinically yet). Distal-patching structures were created to stop beams 1–2 cm beyond the HD-PTV-midplane. These plans were reoptimized and DRBE|LEM-I, DRBE|mMKM, and LETd were recomputed. Distal patching increased (a) LETd50% in HD-CTV (from 38 ± 3.4 keV/µm to 47 ± 8.1 keV/µm), (b) LETdmin in low-LETd regions of the HD-CTV (from 32 ± 2.3 keV/µm to 36.2 ± 3.6 keV/µm), (c) the GTV fraction receiving LETd of ≥50 keV/µm, (from <10% to >50%) and (d) the high-LETd component in the central region of the GTV, without significant compromise in DRBE distribution. However, distal patching is sensitive to setup/range uncertainties, and efforts to ascertain robustness are underway, before routine clinical implementation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Ion Radiotherapy)
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Review

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18 pages, 1531 KiB  
Review
Carbon Ions for Hypoxic Tumors: Are We Making the Most of Them?
by Olga Sokol and Marco Durante
Cancers 2023, 15(18), 4494; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15184494 - 9 Sep 2023
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2035
Abstract
Hypoxia, which is associated with abnormal vessel growth, is a characteristic feature of many solid tumors that increases their metastatic potential and resistance to radiotherapy. Carbon-ion radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with other treatments, is one of the most promising treatments [...] Read more.
Hypoxia, which is associated with abnormal vessel growth, is a characteristic feature of many solid tumors that increases their metastatic potential and resistance to radiotherapy. Carbon-ion radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with other treatments, is one of the most promising treatments for hypoxic tumors because the oxygen enhancement ratio decreases with increasing particle LET. Nevertheless, current clinical practice does not yet fully benefit from the use of carbon ions to tackle hypoxia. Here, we provide an overview of the existing experimental and clinical evidence supporting the efficacy of C-ion radiotherapy in overcoming hypoxia-induced radioresistance, followed by a discussion of the strategies proposed to enhance it, including different approaches to maximize LET in the tumors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon Ion Radiotherapy)
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