Abstract
The number of radiotherapy patients treated with protons has increased from less than 60,000 in 2007 to more than 220,000 in 2019. However, the considerable uncertainty in the positioning of the Bragg peak deeper in the patient raised new challenges in the proton therapy of prostate cancer (PCPT). Here, we describe and share a dataset where 43 single-spot anterior beams with defined proton energies were delivered to a prostate phantom with an inserted endorectal balloon (ERB) filled either with water only or with a silicon-water mixture. The nuclear reactions between the protons and the silicon yield a distinct prompt gamma energy line of 1.78 MeV. Such energy peak could be identified by means of prompt gamma spectroscopy (PGS) for the protons hitting the ERB with a three-sigma threshold. The application of a background-suppression technique showed an increased rejection capability for protons hitting the prostate and the ERB with water only. We describe each dataset, document the full processing chain, and provide the scripts for the statistical analysis.
Highlights
The use of endorectal balloons (ERBs) for stabilizing the prostate movement during radiotherapy has been applied to three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT)[1,2,3] and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)[4,5,6,7]
A dose reduction to the rectal wall by means of an ERB has been observed by several authors[1,8,9]
Such medical device could be applied to proton therapy of prostate cancer (PCPT) to avoid organ movement and to serve as a range probe for monitoring the Bragg peak position before reaching the rectal wall
Summary
The use of endorectal balloons (ERBs) for stabilizing the prostate movement during radiotherapy has been applied to three dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D CRT)[1,2,3] and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)[4,5,6,7]. A dose reduction to the rectal wall by means of an ERB has been observed by several authors[1,8,9] Such medical device could be applied to proton therapy of prostate cancer (PCPT) to avoid organ movement and to serve as a range probe for monitoring the Bragg peak position before reaching the rectal wall. It is our purpose to stimulate others to reuse the present data for developing new fitting models and statistical tools as well as considering other phantoms, range probes and geometries Data from such comprehensive studies could be used to further expand the application of proton therapy to other targets which are not currently considered due to the close proximity to other organs at risk
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