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内容記述 |
Neon ion (20Ne) beam radiotherapy was one of the primary particle therapy candidates investigated during the clinical trials beginning in the 1970s at the Lawrence Berkely National Laboratory (LBNL), which shutdown in the early 1990's. Currently, therapeutic neon ion beams are available at only one clinical facility worldwide, the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) in Chiba, Japan. Recently, neon ion beams were commissioned at QST Hospital as part of the first clinical multi-ion therapy (MIT) program, which aims to improve clinical outcome by escalating higher linear energy transfer (LET) radiation in the tumor for treating therapy-resistant disease. With the advancement of high-precision scanning delivery techniques, neon ion treatments in the present day could be more targeted and safely delivered compared to the first and only clinical application decades prior at LBNL using passive scattering technology. Despite their promising results, pre-clinical investigations of neon ions are scarce outside of Japan and more independent studies are needed. Clinically, neon ion therapy may offer significant benefits for certain malignancies through LET escalation in the tumor, but its limited availability and high costs restrict its current use and adoption. Studies have shown that 20Ne or multi-ion mixtures (4He, 12C, 16O and/or 20Ne) can provide larger degrees of freedom in optimization of dose, LET and RBE, otherwise unattainable with other single ion techniques. Neon ion beams are under investigation in the on-going MIT clinical trials which will establish their broader applicability. Here, a comprehensive review of the technology, physics, radiobiology, and potential clinical applications of neon ion beams is outlined. The status of therapeutic neon ion beams is provided while discussing future research and clinical directions, including technological development of novel particle therapy delivery techniques, such as multi-ion, mini-beam, arc and ultra-high dose rate. |
