PET monitoring of cancer therapy with 3He and 12C beams: a study with the GEANT4 toolkit.

We study the spatial distributions of beta(+)-activity produced by therapeutic beams of (3)He and (12)C ions in various tissue-like materials. The calculations were performed within a Monte Carlo model for heavy-ion therapy (MCHIT) based on the GEANT4 toolkit. The contributions from positron-emitting nuclei with T(1/2) > 10 s, namely (10,11)C, (13)N, (14,15)O, (17,18)F and (30)P, were calculated and compared with experimental data obtained during and after irradiation, where available. Positron-emitting nuclei are created by a (12)C beam in fragmentation reactions of projectile and target nuclei. This leads to a beta(+)-activity profile characterized by a noticeable peak located close to the Bragg peak in the corresponding depth-dose distribution. This can be used for dose monitoring in carbon-ion therapy of cancer. In contrast, as most of the positron-emitting nuclei are produced by a (3)He beam in target fragmentation reactions, the calculated total beta(+)-activity during or soon after the irradiation period is evenly distributed within the projectile range. However, we predict also the presence of (13)N, (14)O, (17,18)F created in charge-transfer reactions by low-energy (3)He ions close to the end of their range in several tissue-like media. The time evolution of beta(+)-activity profiles was investigated for both kinds of beams. We found that due to the production of (18)F nuclides the beta(+)-activity profile measured 2 or 3 h after irradiation with (3)He ions will have a distinct peak correlated with the maximum of depth-dose distribution. We also found certain advantages of low-energy (3)He beams over low-energy proton beams for reliable PET monitoring during particle therapy of shallow-located tumours. In this case the distal edge of beta(+)-activity distribution from (17)F nuclei clearly marks the range of (3)He in tissues.

[1]  Katia Parodi,et al.  The modelling of positron emitter production and PET imaging during carbon ion therapy , 2004, Physics in medicine and biology.

[2]  Axén,et al.  Total reaction cross section calculations in proton-nucleus scattering. , 1996, Physical review. C, Nuclear physics.

[3]  T. Kanai,et al.  Inactivation of Aerobic and Hypoxic Cells from Three Different Cell Lines by Accelerated 3He-, 12C- and 20Ne-Ion Beams , 2000, Radiation Research.

[4]  Riwa Kishimoto,et al.  Overview of clinical experiences on carbon ion radiotherapy at NIRS. , 2004, Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

[5]  S. Incerti,et al.  Geant4 developments and applications , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[6]  Igor Mishustin,et al.  Distributions of positron-emitting nuclei in proton and carbon-ion therapy studied with GEANT4. , 2006, Physics in medicine and biology.

[7]  U Oelfke,et al.  Proton dose monitoring with PET: quantitative studies in Lucite. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[8]  F. Cucinotta,et al.  Universal Parameterization of Absorption Cross Sections , 1999 .

[9]  Victor F. Weisskopf,et al.  On the Yield of Nuclear Reactions with Heavy Elements , 1940 .

[10]  P. Petti,et al.  Particle radiation therapy. , 1994, Cancer.

[11]  J. Patterson,et al.  The excitation function for the reaction C12(He3,n0)O14 between threshold and 11.45 MeV , 1964 .

[12]  T. Haberer,et al.  [Conception of heavy ion beam therapy at Heidelberg University (HICAT)]. , 2004, Zeitschrift fur medizinische Physik.

[13]  E Griesmayer,et al.  The status of MedAustron. , 2004, Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

[14]  M. Bajard,et al.  Status of the "ETOILE" project for a French hadrontherapy centre. , 2004, Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

[15]  Koji Murakami,et al.  Distributions of beta+ decayed nuclei generated in the CH2 and H2O targets by the target nuclear fragment reaction using therapeutic MONO and SOBP proton beam. , 2005, Medical physics.

[16]  U. Holm,et al.  Yield and production of 18F by 3He irradiation of water , 1977 .

[17]  Igor Mishustin,et al.  Neutrons from fragmentation of light nuclei in tissue-like media: a study with the GEANT4 toolkit. , 2005, Physics in medicine and biology.

[18]  J. Newton,et al.  Total cross sections for the reaction 12C(3He, α)11C and 12C(3He, n)14O , 1966 .

[19]  W Enghardt,et al.  The investigation of different cameras for in-beam PET imaging. , 1996, Physics in medicine and biology.

[20]  K. Yoshida,et al.  Washout studies of 11C in rabbit thigh muscle implanted by secondary beams of HIMAC. , 2003, Physics in medicine and biology.

[21]  H. Machulla,et al.  High yield production of 18F in a water target via the 16O(3He,p)18F reaction , 1983 .

[22]  Ugo Amaldi.  CNAO--The Italian Centre for Light-Ion Therapy. , 2004, Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

[23]  M. Abe,et al.  Status of the clinical work at Hyogo. , 2004, Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

[24]  K. Parodi,et al.  The feasibility of in-beam PET for accurate monitoring of proton therapy: results of a comprehensive experimental study , 2004, IEEE Symposium Conference Record Nuclear Science 2004..

[25]  Wen-qing Shen,et al.  Total reaction cross section for heavy-ion collisions and its relation to the neutron excess degree of freedom , 1989 .

[26]  R K Tripathi,et al.  Accurate universal parameterization of absorption cross sections III--light systems. , 1999, Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms.

[27]  Kim Sneppen,et al.  Statistical multifragmentation of nuclei , 1995 .

[28]  Oliver Jäkel,et al.  Results of carbon ion radiotherapy in 152 patients. , 2004, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[29]  Ugo Amaldi,et al.  Radiotherapy with beams of carbon ions , 2005 .

[30]  Katia Parodi,et al.  Charged hadron tumour therapy monitoring by means of PET , 2004 .

[31]  Wolfgang Enghardt,et al.  In-beam PET imaging for the control of heavy-ion tumour therapy , 1996 .

[32]  R. Parker.  Particle radiation therapy , 1985, Cancer.

[33]  A. Donnachie,et al.  Total cross sections , 1992, hep-ph/9209205.

[34]  O Jäkel,et al.  The Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center. , 2004, Radiotherapy and oncology : journal of the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

[35]  T. Haberer,et al.  Die Konzeption der Heidelberger Ionentherapieanlage HICAT , 2004 .

[36]  Y. Uwamino,et al.  Measurement and calculation of radioactivities of spallation products by high-energy heavy ions , 2003 .

[37]  Katia Parodi,et al.  Patient study of in vivo verification of beam delivery and range, using positron emission tomography and computed tomography imaging after proton therapy. , 2007, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[38]  Mitsuyuki Abe,et al.  Usefulness of positron-emission tomographic images after proton therapy. , 2002, International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics.

[39]  Katia Parodi,et al.  In-beam PET measurements of β+ radioactivity induced by proton beams , 2002 .

[40]  R. Hahn,et al.  INTERACTIONS OF $sup 3$He PARTICLES WITH $sup 9$Be, $sup 12$C, $sup 16$O, AND $sup 19$F , 1966 .

[41]  E. Hoffman,et al.  Calculation of positron range and its effect on the fundamental limit of positron emission tomography system spatial resolution. , 1999, Physics in medicine and biology.

[42]  Y. Uwamino,et al.  Cross sections for the production of residual nuclides by high-energy heavy ions , 2004 .

[43]  G. Folger,et al.  The Binary Cascade , 2004 .

[44]  A. Brahme,et al.  Depth absorbed dose and LET distributions of therapeutic 1H, 4He, 7Li, and 12C beams. , 2007, Medical physics.

[45]  H Paganetti,et al.  Clinical CT-based calculations of dose and positron emitter distributions in proton therapy using the FLUKA Monte Carlo code , 2007, Physics in medicine and biology.

[46]  Wolfgang Enghardt,et al.  The spatial distribution of positron-emitting nuclei generated by relativistic light ion beams in organic matter , 1992 .

[47]  W. Enghardt,et al.  The Feasibility of In-Beam PET for Therapeutic Beams of$^3$He , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[48]  J. Archambeau,et al.  Beam localization via 15O activation in proton-radiation therapy , 1975 .

[49]  J. Archambeau,et al.  Visualization and Transport of Positron Emission from Proton Activation in vivo , 1978, Science.

[50]  K Parodi,et al.  Potential application of PET in quality assurance of proton therapy. , 2000, Physics in medicine and biology.