Chapter 24: Particle Therapy

In Chapter 15, we examined the behavior of one type of charged particle used for therapy: the electron. Electron beams provide a dose that falls off quickly with depth, but electrons also undergo substantial scattering in tissue and execute a “random walk” as they penetrate through it, which affects the dose distribution characteristics. In this chapter, we examine heavier charged particles, specifically protons and other heavy charged particles. The first section focuses specifically on proton radiotherapy beams.