A facility for the research, development, and translation of advanced technologies for ion-beam therapies

Abstract This article describes the updated GSI radiotherapy research facility (Cave M) located at Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany. was upgraded by modernizing beamline that supported a pilot project carbon ion cancer therapy Europe from 1997 to 2008. Descriptions are provided of modernized beamline, related hardware components and treatment delivery system. The performance specifications general characteristics each major component described, along with example pre-clinical test results selected components. These upgrades Cave M allow investigating novel methods. is on heavy synchrotron (Schwer-Ionen-Synchrotron, or SIS-18) accelerator complex, capable delivering 0.1 2 GeV/u charged particle beams, ranging protons uranium. contains fast beam gating, aborting, focusing, scanning, monitoring, shifting range beam. scanning magnets, position detectors, monitors tests functionality performance. A dose system (DDS) adapted clinical unit National Centre Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO), Pavia, Italy, consists modular real-time software. DDS modified enable adaptively-managed patient motion through use libraries 4D-optimized radiation plans, an unsolved problem importance treating moving tumors. designed support future studies, such as high rate (Flash) radioactive beams. series validation confirmed various key systems. For example, end-to-end revealed dosimetric spatial homogeneity over 95% achieved square fields. More generally, all were tested satisfied anticipated requirements.