Hadron Therapy Research and Applications at JINR

JINR has the unique experience in cancer treatment with proton beam during about 50 years. In 2005 the collaboration with IBA (Belgium) was established. During these years, the technical design of the first carbon superconducting cyclotron C400 was successfully created, the construction of serial proton cyclotron C235 was significantly improved and the fist modernized cyclotron C235 was assembled, debugged and put in the test operation in Dubna in 2011. This C235 will be used soon in the first Russian medical center with proton therapy in Dimitrovgrad. In 2015 the joint project with ASIPP (Hefei, China) on design and construction of superconducting proton cyclotron SC202 was started. Two copies of SC202 shall be produced, according to the Collaboration Agreement between JINR and ASIPP. One will be used for proton therapy in Hefei and the second one will replace the Phasotron to continue the proton therapy at JINR. PROTON THERAPY IN JINR The history of proton therapy in JINR began 50 years ago: • 1967 – the beginning of the research on proton therapy; • 1968 –1974 – first 84 patients treated with protons; • 1975 –1986 – upgrading of accelerator and construction of a multi -room Medico -Technical Complex (MTC); • 1987 -1996 – treating of 40 patients with protons; • 1999– inauguration of a radiological department of the Dubna hospital; • Since 2000 regular treating of patients with tumors seated in the head, neck and thorax. The modern technique of conformal three-dimensional proton therapy was realized firstly in the JINR Medicaltechnical accelerator complex which includes the Phasotron, the beam delivery systems and medical cabins. Now JINR is the leading research centers of proton therapy in Russia. About 100 patients take a course of fractionated treatment in Dubna every year. During last 14 years from the startup of the Dubna radiological department more than 1000 patients were treated with proton beams [1]. The initial operation of the accelerator took place in 1949. In 1979-1984, the synchrocyclotron was converted into azimuthally varying field Phasotron. Now it is heavily depreciated and out of date, so it is important to replace it with the modern accelerator. JINR (DUBNA) –IBA (BELGIUM) COLLABORATION Superconducting C400 Cyclotron IBA, the world’s industrial leader in equipment of the proton therapy centers, in collaboration with JINR has designed the first superconducting carbon C400 cyclotron [2]. Most of the operating parameters (particle energy, magnetic field, RF frequency) of the C400 cyclotron are fixed. Small main field and RF frequency variation are necessary for the switching from one element to another. It is relatively small (6.6 m in diameter) and cost effective. It offers very good beam intensity control for ultra-fast pencil beam scanning (PBS). But it requires an energy selection system (ESS) in order to vary the beam energy. The efficiency of the ESS for carbon is better than for protons due to lower scattering and straggling of carbon ions in the degrader. The key parameters of the 400MeV/u superconducting cyclotron are listed in Table 1. The view of the cyclotron is presented in Fig.1. Table 1. Main Parameters of the C400 Cyclotron