Feasibility of proton FLASH effect tested by zebrafish embryo irradiation

Sat Jun 29, 2019 03:00

by Elke Beyreuther, Michael Brand, Stefan Hans, Katalin Hideghéty, Leonhard Karsch, Elisabeth Leßmann, Michael Schürer, Emília Rita Szabó, Jörg Pawelke via Radiotherapy and Oncology

During the last decades, radiotherapy dose delivery techniques were notably improved with respect to tumor conformity, e.g., by sophisticated beam delivery techniques like intensity modulated radiation therapy. One disadvantage also of modern photon beam techniques is the exposure of the surrounding normal tissue, which is linked to a risk of severe acute and late effects. Alternatives for reducing the risk are provided by the application of charged particles with their inverse depth dose profile or could be possible by the recently described Flash effect that promises normal tissue protection thanks to dose delivery by beam pulses of high dose rate [1].