3.1 Proton and Heavy Ion Beam Therapy

Motivation Cancer is the second most frequent cause for disease in the developed countries. Every year, more than 1 million people in the European Union are diagnosed of having cancer. A general cure of cancer is not in sight because the term cancer stands for a large variety of diseases that can be characterised by an uncontrolled cell growth. Normally, cell growth is regulated by a number of specific genes that stop cellular growth after an organ has reached its normal size. Only a few cells in our body show permanent cell division like the stem cells of the different blood forming organs and skin cells as well as mucosa cells in the intestines. Most of the other cells in our body are not permanently dividing and some of them as for instance the brain stop dividing completely.