Clinical aspects and potential clinical applications of laser accelerated proton beams

Abstract. Proton beam radiation therapy (PBRT), as well as the other forms of hadrontherapy, is in use in the treatment of neoplastic diseases, to realize a high selective irradiation with maximum sparing of surrounding organs. The main characteristic of such a particles is to have an increased radiobiological effectiveness compared to conventional photons (about 10% more) and the advantage to deposit the energy in a defined space through the tissues (Bragg peak phenomenon). The goal of ELIMED Project is the realization of a laser accelerated proton beam line to prove its potential use for clinical application in the field of hadrontherapy. To date, there are several potential clinical applications of PBRT, some of which have become the treatment of choice for a specific tumour, for others it is under investigation as a therapeutic alternative to conventional X-ray radiotherapy, to increase the dose to the tumour and reduce the side effects. For almost half of cancers, an increased local tumour control is the mainstay for increased cancer curability.