AUTHOR=Everaere Pierre , Dauvergne Denis , Gallin-Martel Marie-Laure , Hérault Joël , Koudia Ayoub , Koumeir Charbel , Létang Jean Michel , Testa Étienne 

TITLE=Prompt gamma energy integration: a new method for online-range verification in proton therapy with pulsed-beams

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physics

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physics/articles/10.3389/fphy.2024.1371015

DOI=10.3389/fphy.2024.1371015

ISSN=2296-424X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> We propose a method for prompt-gamma verification of proton range during particle therapy, called Prompt-Gamma Energy Integration (PGEI).</p><p><bold>Method:</bold> This method is based on the measurement of the total energy deposited in a set of detectors located around a patient. It is particularly suited in the case of high-instantaneous beam intensities, like for pulsed beams extracted from a synchro-cyclotron. GATE simuations were used to evaluate the sensitivity, and dedicated scintillators were tested as a function of beam intensity.</p><p><bold>Results and discussion:</bold> Simulations show that millimetric range shifts can be measured at a beam-spot scale. The sensitivity is slightly degraded as compared to the Prompt-Gamma Peak Integration Method, for which Time-of-Flight can be employed to reduce the background in single-photon detection conditions at cyclotron accelerators. Experimentally, lead tungstate scintillators have shown to cope with the high instantaneous gamma count rates for PGEI at synchro-cyclotrons.</p>