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SUMMARY:Hybrid neutron and gamma-ray detection and imaging for range monit
 oring in proton therapy – The NOVO project - Ilker Meric (Western Norway
  University of Applied Sciences)
DTSTART:20230517T080000Z
DTEND:20230517T083000Z
UID:TALK198118@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:In the treatment of cancer\, proton therapy offers a more conf
 ormal treatment than conventional radiotherapy owing to the fact that the 
 ionization density is highest within a narrow range of depth in tissue\, i
 .e.\, the Bragg peak. However\, taking full advantage of the Bragg peak ha
 s so far not been possible due to range uncertainties that come about as a
  result of anatomical changes during the course of treatment\, organ motio
 n\, patient positioning and setup errors as well as inherent uncertainties
  in estimating the tissue stopping power. These uncertainties warrant the 
 development of so-called range monitoring techniques that ideally enable a
 daptation of the treatment in case of range errors. Yet\, there is still n
 o range monitoring system that is used in routine clinical proton therapy 
 practice. To address this problem\, we have recently formed the NOVO (Neut
 rOn and gamma-ray imaging for real-time range VerificatiOn and image guida
 nce in particle therapy) collaboration to develop a compact detector array
  (NOVCoDA) consisting of optically segmented\, bar-shaped organic scintill
 ator elements with dual-ended light readout. The NOVCoDA is to enable simu
 ltaneous detection and imaging of secondary fast neutrons and prompt gamma
 -rays that are produced abundantly in nuclear collisions during treatment.
  In this talk\, I will give an overview of the recent results of experimen
 tal campaigns exploring suitable organic scintillator materials via charac
 terisation of their physical properties as well as providing an overview o
 f the results of a Monte Carlo modelling study that explored the feasibili
 ty of the proposed approach to detect clinically relevant range shifts of 
 1-2 mm and its capabilities of identifying relevant treatment deviations v
 ia a clinical example case.\n&nbsp\;\nOn behalf of the NOVO collaboration.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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