IIHE Invited seminar: Fast Monte Carlo simulations of proton therapy

Abstract: Half of cancer treatments involve radiation therapy techniques, consisting of irradiating tumors with external radiation beams. The biggest challenge is to kill cancerous cells while limiting damages to healthy tissues and spare organs at risk. Proton beams offer more advantageous physical properties than X-ray beams conventionally used nowadays. High radiation dose can be delivered to the target by adjusting the Bragg peak positions in the tumor.  However, this high dose gradient is also a source of potential treatment errors as Bragg peak might not be delivered at the expected location due to several uncertainties. Monte Carlo simulation of proton interactions in patient geometry is considered the most accurate method to estimate the dose distribution. The stochastic method requires, however, the simulation of a huge number of particles to reduce the statistical noise on the results. This presentation will introduce the development of fast Monte Carlo simulation codes to allow their application in clinical routine.