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This retrospective study assessed the treatment planning data and clinical outcomes for 152 prostate cancer patients: 76 consecutive patients treated by carbon-ion radiation therapy and 76 consequtive patients treated by moderate hypo-fractionated intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy. These two modalities were compared using linear quadratic model equivalent doses in 2 Gy per fraction for rectal or rectal wall dose–volume histogram, 3.6 Gy per fraction-converted rectal dose–volume histogram, normal tissue complication probability model, and actual clinical outcomes. Carbon-ion radiation therapy was predicted to have a lower probability of rectal adverse events than intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy based on dose–volume histograms and normal tissue complication probability model. There was no difference in the clinical outcome of rectal adverse events between the two modalities compared in this study.

We developed the photon counting CT system by using a conventional laboratory X-ray source and a CdTe line sensor. Attenuation coefficients were obtained from the measured CT image data. Our suggested method for deriving the electron density and effective atomic number from the measured attenuation coefficients was tested experimentally. The accuracy of the electron densities and effective atomic numbers are about

Purpose To estimate relative biological effectiveness (RBE) ascribed to secondary fragments in a lateral distribution of carbon ion irradiation. The RBE was estimated with the microdosimetric kinetic (MK) model and measured linear energy transfer (LET) obtained with CR‐39 plastic detectors. Methods A water phantom was irradiated by a 12C pencil beam with energy of 380 MeV/u at the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC), and CR‐39 detectors were exposed to secondary fragments. Because CR‐39 was insensitive to low LET, we conducted Monte Carlo simulations with Geant4 to calculate low LET particles. The spectra of low LET particles were combined with experimental spectra to calculate RBE. To estimate accuracy of RBE, we calculated RBE by changing yield of low LET particles by ±10% and ±40%. Results At a small angle, maximum RBE by secondary fragments was 1.3 for 10% survival fractions. RBE values of fragments gradually decreased as the angle became larger. The shape of the LET spectra in the simulation reproduced the experimental spectra, but there was a discrepancy between the simulation and experiment for the relative yield of fragments. When the yield of low LET particles was changed by ±40%, the change of RBE was smaller than 10%. Conclusions RBE of 1.3 was expected for secondary fragments emitted at a small angle. Though, we observed a discrepancy in the relative yield of secondary fragments between simulation and experiment, precision of RBE was not so sensitive to the yield of low LET particles.

Purpose We propose the Divided-Volume Matching (DVM) technique to visualize and estimate three-dimensional (3D) displacements of internal structures to enable more accurate patient positioning for radiation therapy. Methods A CT volume is divided into a volume of interest (VOI) and a base volume (BV); 2D-3D matching is achieved using digital radiography (DR) images and digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs), where the DRRs are iteratively generated by changing the 3D positions and rotation angles of the separate volumes independently to identify the best match with the DR images. We demonstrate this technique with two phantom and two clinical cases. Results 3D displacements of the VOIs could be estimated independently and simultaneously with those of the BVs, with accuracies comparable to those of the conventional 2D-3D matching. The proposed technique yielded more suitable matching results when internal displacements occurred in the regions of interest (ROIs). The best matches were found when the ROI was confined to the focused structure, initial displacement values were coarsely adjusted, one volume was matched while the other was fixed, or any combination thereof. Conclusions The proposed technique can be used effectively for independent displacement estimations of VOIs and BVs for patient positioning in radiation therapy.

We have proposed a method to obtain the electron density and effective atomic number from the attenuation coefficients of multi-energy X-rays. The simulations were performed using NIST’s database and demonstrate that our approach can facilitate electron density measurements within accuracy of 1% in a human body. The proposed method exhibited an improvement in the accuracy of electron density measurements, which were obtained from experimental linear attenuation coefficients using a conventional laboratory X-ray source with energy spectrum.

This retrospective study assessed the treatment planning data and clinical outcomes for 152 prostate cancer patients: 76 consecutive patients treated by carbon-ion radiation therapy and 76 consequtive patients treated by moderate hypo-fractionated intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy. These two modalities were compared using linear quadratic model equivalent doses in 2 Gy per fraction for rectal or rectal wall dose–volume histogram, 3.6 Gy per fraction-converted rectal dose–volume histogram, normal tissue complication probability model, and actual clinical outcomes. Carbon-ion radiation therapy was predicted to have a lower probability of rectal adverse events than intensity-modulated photon radiation therapy based on dose–volume histograms and normal tissue complication probability model. There was no difference in the clinical outcome of rectal adverse events between the two modalities compared in this study.

Purpose We developed a system for calculating patient positional displacement between digital radiography images (DRs) and digitally reconstructed radiography images (DRRs) to reduce patient radiation exposure, minimize individual differences between radiological technologists in patient positioning, and decrease positioning time. The accuracy of this system at five sites was evaluated with clinical data from cancer patients. The dependence of calculation accuracy on the size of the region of interest (ROI) and initial position was evaluated for clinical use. Methods For a preliminary verification, treatment planning and positioning data from eight setup patterns using a head and neck phantom were evaluated. Following this, data from 50 patients with prostate, lung, head and neck, liver, or pancreatic cancer (n = 10 each) were evaluated. Root mean square errors (RMSEs) between the results calculated by our system and the reference positions were assessed. The reference positions were manually determined by two radiological technologists to best‐matching positions with orthogonal DRs and DRRs in six axial directions. The ROI size dependence was evaluated by comparing RMSEs for three different ROI sizes. Additionally, dependence on initial position parameters was evaluated by comparing RMSEs for four position patterns. Results For the phantom study, the average (± standard deviation) translation error was 0.17 ± 0.05, rotation error was 0.17 ± 0.07, and ΔD was 0.14 ± 0.05. Using the optimal ROI size for each patient site, all cases of prostate, lung, and head and neck cancer with initial position parameters of 10 mm or under were acceptable in our tolerance. However, only four liver cancer cases and three pancreatic cancer cases were acceptable, because of low‐reproducibility regions in the ROIs. Conclusion Our system has clinical practicality for prostate, lung, and head and neck cancer cases. Additionally, our findings suggest ROI size dependence in some cases.

PURPOSE To estimate relative biological effectiveness (RBE) ascribed to secondary fragments in a lateral distribution of carbon ion irradiation. The RBE was estimated with the microdosimetric kinetic (MK) model and measured linear energy transfer (LET) obtained with CR-39 plastic detectors. METHODS A water phantom was irradiated by a 12 C pencil beam with energy of 380 MeV/u at the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC), and CR-39 detectors were exposed to secondary fragments. Because CR-39 was insensitive to low LET, we conducted Monte Carlo simulations with Geant4 to calculate low LET particles. The spectra of low LET particles were combined with experimental spectra to calculate RBE. To estimate accuracy of RBE, we calculated RBE by changing yield of low LET particles by ± 10% and ± 40%. RESULTS At a small angle, maximum RBE by secondary fragments was 1.3 for 10% survival fractions. RBE values of fragments gradually decreased as the angle became larger. The shape of the LET spectra in the simulation reproduced the experimental spectra, but there was a discrepancy between the simulation and experiment for the relative yield of fragments. When the yield of low LET particles was changed by ± 40%, the change in RBE was smaller than 10%. CONCLUSIONS An RBE of 1.3 was expected for secondary fragments emitted at a small angle. Although, we observed a discrepancy in the relative yield of secondary fragments between simulation and experiment, precision of RBE was not so sensitive to the yield of low LET particles.

In this study, we performed on-beam monitoring of 511 keV annihilation gamma emissions using a Compton camera. Beam monitoring experiments were conducted using carbon ion beams of 290 MeV/u irradiated on a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom. The intensity of the beams was 3 × 109 particles per pulse, with 20 pulses per minute. A Compton camera based on a silicon/cadmium telluride (Si/CdTe) detector was used to monitor the annihilation gamma rays emitted from the phantom. We successfully reconstructed the energy events of 511 keV annihilation gamma rays and developed Compton images using a simple back-projection method. The distribution of the annihilation gamma ray generation traced the beam trajectory and the peak intensity position was a few millimeters shorter than the Bragg peak position. Moreover, the effect of the beam range shifter with 30, 60, and 90 mm water equivalent thickness (WET) was clearly visualized in the reconstructed Compton images. The experimentally measured values of the corresponding range shifts in the PMMA phantom (28.70 mm, 52.49 mm, and 76.77 mm, respectively) were consistent with the shifts of the Bragg peak position (25.50 mm, 51.30 mm and 76.70 mm, respectively) evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results show that the Si/CdTe Compton camera has strong potential for on-beam monitoring of annihilation gamma rays in particle therapy in clinical situations.

The two-parameter-fitting method (PFM) is commonly used to calculate the stopping-power ratio (SPR). This study proposes a new formalism: a three-PFM, which can be used in multiple spectral computed tomography (CT). Using a photon-counting CT system, seven rod-shaped samples of aluminium, graphite, and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and four types of biological phantom materials were placed in a water-filled sample holder. The X-ray tube voltage and current were set at 150 kV and 40 μμA respectively, and four CT images were obtained at four threshold settings. A semi-empirical correction method that corrects the difference between the CT values from the photon-counting CT images and theoretical values in each spectral region was also introduced. Both the two- and three-PFMs were used to calculate the effective atomic number and electron density from multiple CT numbers. The mean excitation energy was calculated via parameterisation with the effective atomic number, and the SPR was then calculated from the calculated electron density and mean excitation energy. Then, the SPRs from both methods were compared with the theoretical values. To estimate the noise level of the CT numbers obtained from the photon-counting CT, CT numbers, including noise, were simulated to evaluate the robustness of the aforementioned PFMs. For the aluminium and graphite, the maximum relative errors for the SPRs calculated using the two-PFM and three-PFM were 17.1% and 7.1%, respectively. For the PMMA and biological phantom materials, the maximum relative errors for the SPRs calculated using the two-PFM and three-PFM were 5.5% and 2.0%, respectively. It was concluded that the three-PFM, compared with the two-PFM, can yield SPRs that are closer to the theoretical values and is less affected by noise.

In a conventional carbon-ion radiotherapy facility, a carbon-ion beam is typically accelerated up to an optimum energy, slowly extracted from a synchrotron ring by a resonant slow extraction method, and ultimately delivered to a patient through a beam-delivery system. At Japan’s Gunma University, a method employing slow-beam extraction along with beam-acceleration has been adopted. This method slightly alters the extracted-beam’s energy owing to the acceleration component of the process, which subsequently results in a residual-range variation of approximately 2 mm in water-equivalent length. However, this range variation does not disturb a distal dose distribution with broad-beam methods such as the single beam-wobbling method. With the pencil-beam 3D scanning method, however, such a range variation disturbs a distal dose distribution because the variation is comparable to slice thickness. Therefore, for pencil-beam 3D scanning, an energy compensation method for a slow extracted beam is proposed in this paper. This method can compensate for the aforementioned energy variances by controlling net energy losses through a rotatable energy absorber set fixed between the synchrotron exit channel and the isocenter. Experimental results demonstrate that beam energies can be maintained constant, as originally hypothesized. Moreover, energy-absorber positions were found to be significantly enhanced by optimizing beam optics for reducing beam-size growth by implementation of the multiple-scattering effect option.

Facilities for heavy ion therapies are steadily increasing in number worldwide. One of the advantages of heavy ions is their high relative biological effect (RBE). In a model used at NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences), linear energy transfer (LET) spectra are required to estimate biological dose (physical dose × RBE). The CR-39 plastic charged-particle detector (CR-39) is suitable for measurement of LET. For the present study, done at the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC), we measured LET spectra at 11 depths in spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) irradiation by a

The aim of this research is to develop a stereotactic-radiosurgery (SRS) technique using carbon beams to treat small intracranial lesions; we call this device the carbon knife. A 2D-scanning method is adapted to broaden a pencil beam to an appropriate size for an irradiation field. A Mitsubishi slow extraction using third order resonance through a rf acceleration system stabilized by a feed-forward scanning beam using steering magnets with a 290 MeV/u initial beam energy was used for this purpose. Ridge filters for spread-out Bragg peaks (SOBPs) with widths of 5 mm, 7.5 mm, and 10 mm were designed to include fluence-attenuation effects. The collimator, which defines field shape, was used to reduce the lateral penumbra. The lateral-penumbra width at the SOBP region was less than 2 mm for the carbon knife. The penumbras behaved almost the same when changing the air gap, but on the other hand, increasing the range-shifter thickness mostly broadened the lateral penumbra. The physical-dose rates were approximate 6 Gy s−1 and 4.5 Gy s−1 for the 10 × 10 mm2 and 5 × 5 mm2 collimators, respectively.

This study analyzes data from telephone consultations made with a research institution during approximately one year following the March 11, 2011, Fukushima, Japan, Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Data was correlated with newspaper and online media coverage. During the analysis, many calls for consultation concerned aspects of daily life such as food, clothing, and housing and to radiation exposure during the accident. As the year of study went on, the proportion of consultation on daily life changed to more technical topics, such as dose measurement, scientific knowledge, natural radiation, and Russia’s Chernobyl accident. The topic of “children” raised the greatest number of consultations over the entire period; 20–40% of callers inquiring about soil, dose measurement and internal exposure asked also about children. Media reports on the topics consulted on were few except for those on dose measurement. The proportion of consultations on children and dose measurement may have been raised due to media reports circulating at about the same time. We concluded that it is important in postaccident risk communication that information related to daily living – especially protective measures that could be taken – and to effects on children be provided efficiently and at an appropriate timing.

In this study, we investigate the performance of the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center's ion computed tomography (CT) system, which measures the residual range of a carbon-ion beam using a fluoroscopy screen, a charge-coupled-device camera, and a moving wedge absorber and collects CT reconstruction images from each projection angle. Each 2D image was obtained by changing the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) thickness, such that all images for one projection could be expressed as the depth distribution in PMMA. The residual range as a function of PMMA depth was related to the range in water through a calibration factor, which was determined by comparing the PMMA-equivalent thickness measured by the ion CT system to the water-equivalent thickness measured by a water column. Aluminium, graphite, PMMA, and five biological phantoms were placed in a sample holder, and the residual range for each was quantified simultaneously. A novel method of CT reconstruction to correct for the angular deflection of incident carbon ions in the heterogeneous region utilising the Bragg peak reduction (BPR) is also introduced in this paper, and its performance is compared with other methods present in the literature such as the decomposition and differential methods. Stopping power ratio values derived with the BPR method from carbon-ion CT images matched closely with the true water-equivalent length values obtained from the validation slab experiment.

Background and purpose Patient positioning was compared by tumor matching (TM) and conventional bony structure matching (BM) in carbon ion radiotherapy for stage I non-small cell lung cancer to evaluate the robustness of TM and BM in determining interfractional error. Material and methods Sixty irradiation fields were analyzed. Computed tomography (CT) images acquired before treatment initiation for confirmation (Conf-CT) were obtained under the same settings as the treatment planning CT images and used to evaluate both positioning methods. The dose distributions were recalculated for Conf-CT using both BM and TM, and the dose–volume histogram parameters [V 95% of clinical target volume, V 5Gy(RBE) of normal lung, and acceptance ratio (ratio of cases with V 95% > 95%)] were evaluated. The required margin, which in 90% of cases achieved the acceptable condition, was also examined. Results Using BM and TM, the median V 95% was 98.93% and 100% ( p 5Gy(RBE) was 135.9 and 125.8 ( p = 0.694), respectively. The estimated required margins were 7.9 and 3.3 mm and increased by 53.9% and 2.5% of V 5Gy(RBE) , respectively, compared with planning. Conclusions TM ensured a better dose distribution than did BM. To enable TM, volumetric imaging is crucial and should replace 2D radiographs for carbon therapy of stage I lung cancer.

Production of spin polarized short-lived nucleus 12N (I π = 1 + , T 1/2 = 11 ms) using heavy ion reactions at intermediate energies has been performed. Typical polarization of about −25 % and +10 % through the projectile fragmentation Be(14N, 12N)X and the charge exchange CH2(12C, 12N)X processes, respectively, was obtained. The present study proved that the combination of a 12C beam and a proton target provides a fairly good quality of polarized 12N beam in terms of intensity and energy uniformity, and is promising for materials science use of 12N as a nuclear probe.

We report our studies in various fields of Physics through nuclear moments utilizing the β-NMR technique, including material sciences, nuclear structures and fundamental symmetries. Especially, we focus on the recent progress in the studies on the electronic structure in Pt through Knight shifts of various impurities, lattice locations of impurities, electric field gradients, the analysis of nuclear spin in terms of its components, anomaly in the spin expectation value for 9C-9Li mirror pair, the G-parity conservation law, and the Ramsey resonance on UCN for future neutron EDM measurements.

Facilities for heavy ion therapies are steadily increasing in number worldwide. One of the advantages of heavy ions is their high relative biological effect (RBE). In a model used at NIRS (National Institute of Radiological Sciences), linear energy transfer (LET) spectra are required to estimate biological dose (physical dose × RBE). The CR-39 plastic charged-particle detector (CR-39) is suitable for measurement of LET. For the present study, done at the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC), we measured LET spectra at 11 depths in spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) irradiation by a 12C beam of 380 MeV/u. The lower threshold of the CR-39 to measure LET was about 5 keV µm-1 due to poor sensitivity for low LET. Then we calculated biological dose and survival fraction distributions and compared them with treatment planning results at GHMC. We used Monte Carlo simulation (Geant4) to calculate LET spectra. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental spectra. Moreover, the biological dose and survival fraction distributions estimated from the CR-39 reproduced the treatment planning. The CR-39 is suitable for estimating biological dose in carbon ion therapy.

We report recent situation of anomaly in spin expectation value found in 9 C- 9 Li mirror pair, recent analysis of the nuclear spin in terms of orbital or intrinsic and proton or neutron, and a result from the study of the G -parity conservation law through β -ray angular correlation in terms of its nuclear orientation.

A microbeam array was formed with a multi-slit collimator (MSC) for research on radiation therapy (MRT). Kodak EDR2 film was used to measure the dose distribution of the microbeam array. The calibration curve of optical density of the film with respect to a dose was established using a standard Farmer chamber and 60Co gamma-ray source. The peak dose of 3.6 Gy/s at the maximum was derived from the film dosimetry using the calibration curve. The uncertainty was estimated to be 5 % which was mainly attributed to the uncertainty of the calibration. It was found that the ionization chamber used for monitoring the dose during the MRT experiments gave lower dose by about 30 % than the dose derived from the film dosimetry.

Heavy-ion therapy is one of the important methods for the cancer treatment. More than 3400 patients were treated between 1994 and 2007 at Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC). For the promotion of carbon-ion therapy, a compact carbon-therapy facility was developed. The size of the new facility is three times smaller, while the accelerator can supply the beams similar to those used at HIMAC. The new irradiation system was developed in order to obtain a precise dose distribution for moving and/or deforming organs.

Information on electron density is important for radiotherapy treatment planning in order to optimize the dose distribution in the target volume of a patient. At present, the electron density is derived from a computed tomography (CT) number measured in x-ray CT scanning; however, there are uncertainties due to the beam hardening effect and the method by which the electron density is converted from the CT number. In order to measure the electron density with an accuracy of +/-1%, the authors have developed dual-energy x ray CT using monochromatic x rays. They experimentally proved that the measured linear attenuation coefficients were only a few percent lower than the theoretical ones, which led to an accuracy within 2% for the electron density. There were three factors causing inaccuracy in the linear attenuation coefficient and the electron density: the influence of scattered radiation, the nonlinearity in the detector response function, and a theoretical process to derive the electron density from the linear attenuation coefficients. The linear attenuation coefficients of water were experimentally proved to differ by 1%-2% from the theoretical one even when the scattering effect was negligible. The nonlinearity of the response function played an important role in correcting the difference in the linear attenuation coefficient. Furthermore, the theoretical process used for deriving the electron density from the linear attenuation coefficients introduces about 0.6% deviation from the theoretical value into the resultant electron density. This deviation occurs systematically so that it can be corrected. The authors measured the electron densities for seven samples equivalent to soft tissue in dual-energy x-ray CT, and finally obtained them with an accuracy of around +/-1%.

A multislit collimator was designed and fabricated for basic studies on microbeam radiation therapy (MRT) with an x-ray energy of about 100 keV. It consists of 30 slits that are 25 {mu}m high, 30 mm wide, and 5 mm thick in the beam direction. The slits were made of 25 {mu}m-thick polyimide sheets that were separated by 175 {mu}m-thick tungsten sheets. The authors measured the dose distribution of a single microbeam with a mean energy of 125 keV by a scanning slit method using a phosphor coupled to a charge coupled device camera and found that the ratios of the dose at the center of a microbeam to that at midpositions to adjacent slits were 1050 and 760 for each side of the microbeam. This dose distribution was well reproduced by the Monte Carlo simulation code PHITS.

Based on more than 10 years of experience with HIMAC, we have proposed a new treatment facility for the further development of therapy with HIMAC. The new facility, as an extension of the existing one, has been designed and the related R&D work has been carried out. The following descriptions give a summary account of the design study and the related R&D work for this new treatment facility at HIMAC.

The electric quadrupole (Q) moment of short-lived nucleus 25Al \((I^{\pi} = 5/2^{+}, T_{1/2} = 7.18~{\rm s})\) has been measured for the first time, by means of the β-NQR technique. The spin polarization of 25Al was produced in heavy ion collisions and was kept in a α-Al2O3 single crystal for as long as 2 s and the quadrupole coupling frequency was obtained as ∣ eqQ / h(25Al in Al2O3) ∣ = (4.05 ±0.30) MHz. From the result, the Q moment was determined as ∣ Q(25Al)∣ = (240 ±20) mb. The present Q moment is larger by 30% than the shell model value of 184 mb, calculated by OXBASH code, which may show additional deformation of the nucleus.

The magnetic moment of 28p (Iπ =3+, T1/2 =270.3 ms) in the ground state has been measured by the β-nuclear magnetic resonance method for the first time. The measured magnetic moment of |μ(28P)|=0.309(9) μN is well reproduced by the shell model value of +0.306 μN. The shell model calculation also yields a proton density distribution with a long tail. The present results provide a strong confirmation of the configuration of the 2s1/2 proton which should lead to the proton halo.

The magnetic moment of short lived β-emitter 24mAl (426 keV, Iπ = 1 + , T1/2 = 131 ms) has been measured by means of β-NMR technique, for the first time. From the β-NMR spectrum, the magnetic moment was determined as \(\left| {\upmu}\left( ^{\rm 24m}{\rm Al} \right) \right|=\left( {2.99\pm 0.09} \right){\upmu}_{\rm N}\). Combined with the known magnetic moment of the mirror partner 24mNa, the expectation value of is obtained to be (0.08 ± 0.12). These values are reproduced well by the shell model calculation.

Dual energy X-ray CT was carried out with synchrotron radiation at BL20B2 beam line of JASRI/SPring-8. The X-ray beams were vertically magnified by employing an asymmetry Bragg reflection geometry. The field size was about 25 mm×250 mm at the end of the beam line. Porcine eyes and brain and water were used as samples. The DXCT provided the highly accurate information on an electron density; the electron density of water was in agreement of about 0.6% with the theoretical value. Images of the electron density and an effective atomic number had good quality sufficient for medical applications.

The spin-lattice relaxation times T1 for short-lived β emitters 25Al(I = 5/2, T1/2 = 7.2 s) and 28P(I = 3, T1/2 = 270 ms) in Pt were measured by means of the β-NMR technique. As a result, T1[25Al in Pt] = (1.1 \(^{+\ 0.7}_{-\ 0.3})\) s and T1[28P in Pt] >0.5 s were obtained at temperatures of 17 and 20 K, respectively. The Knight shifts were estimated from the Korringa relation, which were evaluated by comparing to the first principle calculations.

We report our experience with extended usage of range compensators in heavy-ion radiotherapy with broad beams to lighten the management task of the beam data library, which is a collection of the standard beams to be referenced in treatment planning. Partly due to interference between lateral spreading and range shifting, as many as hundreds of beam entries may be necessary to cover all the possible clinical situations. We have introduced downstream secondary range shifting with a range compensator to reduce the interference and consequently to simplify the library. In our case, 30% reduction in beam entries is achieved without significantly degrading the beam quality nor increasing the material consumption by more than 3%, which is experimentally verified with carbon-ion beams or statistically estimated from the clinical records.

Clinical trials of carbon radiotherapy started at HIMAC in 1994 using three treatment rooms and four beam ports, two horizontal and two vertical. The broad beam method was adopted to make a three-dimensionally uniform field at an isocenter. A spot beam extracted from an accelerator was laterally spread out by using a pair of wobbler magnets and a scatterer. A bar ridge filter modulated the beam energy to obtain the spread out Bragg peak (SOBP). The SOBP was designed to be flat in terms of the biological dose based on the consideration that the field consisted of various beams with different LET. Finally, the field of 20 cm in diameter with +/- 2.5% uniformity was formed at the isocenter. The width of the maximum SOBP was 15 cm. When treating the lung or liver, organs that move due to breathing, the beam was irradiated only during the expiration period in a respiration-gated irradiation method. This reduced the treatment margin of the moving target. In order to prevent normal tissues adjacent to the target volume from irradiation by an unwanted dose, a layer-stacking method was developed. In this method, thin SOBP layers which have different ranges were piled up step by step from the distal end to the entrance of the target volume. At the same time, a multi-leaf collimator was used to change the aperture shape to match the shape of each layer to the cross-sectional shape of the target. This method has been applied to rather large volume cancers including bone and soft-tissue cancers. Only a few serious problems in the irradiation systems have been encountered since the beginning of the clinical trials. Overall the systems have been working stably and reliably.

To contribute to the reconstruction and revitalization of Fukushima Prefecture following the 2011 nuclear power disaster, annual individual doses were estimated for evacuees who will re- turn home to Tamura City, Kawauchi Village, and Iitate Village in Fukushima. Ambient external dose rates and individual doses obtained with personal dosimeters were measured at many residen- tial and occupational sites throughout the study areas to obtain fun- damental data needed for the estimation. The measurement results indicated that the ratio of individual dose based on a personal dosimeter to the ambient external dose measurement was 0.7 with 10% uncertainty. Multiplying the ambient external dose by 0.7 may be an appropriate measure of the effective dose to an individ- ual in the investigated area. Annual individual doses were estimated for representative lifestyles and occupations based on the ambi- ent external dose rates at the measurement sites, taking into ac- count the relationship between the ambient external dose and individual dose. The results were as follows: 0.6–2.3 mSv y−1 in Tamura, 1.1–5.5 mSv y−1 in Kawauchi, and 3.8–17 mSv y−1 in Iitate. For all areas investigated, the estimated dose to out- door workers was higher than that to indoor workers. Identifying ways to reduce the amount of time that an outdoor worker spends outdoors would provide an effective measure to reduce dose.

The commissioning of conformal radiotherapy system using heavy-ion beams at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) is described in detail. The system at HIMAC was upgraded for a clinical trial using a new technique: large spot uniform scanning with conformal layer stacking. The system was developed to localize the irradiation dose to the target volume more effectively than with the old system. With the present passive irradiation method using a ridge filter, a scatterer, a pair of wobbler magnets, and a multileaf collimator, the width of the spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) in the radiation field could not be changed. With dynamic control of the beam-modifying devices during irradiation, a more conformal radiotherapy could be achieved. In order to safely perform treatments with this conformal therapy, the moving devices should be watched during irradiation and the synchronousness among the devices should be verified. This system, which has to be safe for patient irradiations, was constructed and tested for safety and for the quality of the dose localization realized. Through these commissioning tests, we were successfully able to prepare the conformal technique using layer stacking for patients. Subsequent to commissioning the technique has been applied to patients in clinical trials.

Since 1994, the clinical trial for cancer therapy with HIMAC has successfully progressed, and more than 2100 cancer patients have been treated with a carbon beam. Based on the development of the accelerator and irradiation technologies for 10 years, we have designed a new carbon-therapy facility for widespread use in Japan, and key technologies for the new facility have been developed. We describe the conceptual design of the new facility and the status of development for the key technologies.

Based on 10 years experience of carbon therapy at HIMAC, new facility project is in progress at NIRS. In this paper, the design of the synchrotron and its transport system dedicated for carbon therapy based on the machine study at HIMAC and the results of the studies are presented. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved

In order to define the optical parameters of a slowly extracted beam at the entrance of the extraction channel and to realize optical matching with the beam line, the outgoing separatrix was measured at HIMAC. Modifying the lattice parameters of the ring model according to the measurement result, the simulation result makes it possible to predict the optical parameters at the extraction channel. As a result, it was experimentally verified that optical matching of the slowly extracted beam with the transport line was realized. The measured beam size and dispersion functions were in good agreement with the calculation result at each monitor in the transport line. Particle tracking also predicts the beam profile at each profile monitor in the beam line. Further, a quasi-parallel beam was demonstratedb by changing the beam optics in the beam line.

The electric quadrupole coupling constants eqQ/h of 8B (I π = 2+, T 1/2 = 769 ms) and 13B (I π = 3/2−, T 1/2 = 17.4 ms) in single crystal TiO2 have been precisely measured by the β-NQR technique. The ratios of these Q moments to Q(12B) were determined as |Q(8B)/Q(12B)| = 4.882(32) and |Q(13B)/Q(12B)| = 2.768(24).

The momentum dependences of the nuclear spin polarization P and alignment A of 13B(I π = 3/2+, T 1/2 = 17.36 ms) produced in the 100A MeV 15N + Be collisions have been measured by detecting β-ray asymmetry. Because both the P and A were significantly smaller than the prediction from a simple kinematical model, some relaxation mechanisms must be take into account. Comparing the signs of the observed alignment of 12B, the sign of the quadrupole coupling constant eqQ of 13B in TiO2 was determined to be positive.

The electric quadrupole coupling constants eqQ/h of 20Na (Iπ = 2+, T 1/2 = 449.7 ms), 21Na (Iπ = 3/2, T 1/2 = 22.49 s) and 25Na (Iπ = 5/2, T 1/2 = 59.6 s) in single crystal ZnO and TiO2 were precisely measured by applying the β-NMR technique. The ratio of the quadrupole moments between 20Na (25Na) and 21Na was determined to be 0.728 ± 0.023 (0.011 ± 0.002).

We proposed dual-energy X-ray CT for direct measurement of electron densities to make treatment planning for heavy ion radiotherapy more accurate. The accuracy was proved to be about 1% using synchrotron radiation in previous experiments carried out at SPring-8 and PF-AR. The electron densities of some porcine organs were measured in this method at SPring-8, and compared with data of ICRU Report. Besides, the atomic number of the object is also obtained as a byproduct. Comparing the CT-number given in conventional CT scanning is an important information. Images of the electron density and atomic number may give new information to medical diagnosis.

We have developed dual-energy X-ray CT (DXCT) using monochromatic X-ray beams. From the DXCT, we can obtain distributions of an electron density and an effective atomic number in a human body. Especially, the electron density is very important for the heavy-ion radiotherapy. Now, we adopted the CdTe array to this detector system to know the energy of incident photons as well as detect the position and the number of photons. We carry out the experiment of the DXCT with CdTe array at the beamline of KEK. The preliminary result of the experiments and the feasibility of a quantitative polychromatic X-ray CT as an advanced method of this method are shown in this study.

Secondary beam courses have been constructed at HIMAC. There are two beam courses, SB1 and SB2, which were designed as branches from the PH2 (a primary beam course) at the same point. The SB1 course is used mainly for medical applications with a positron emitter beam, where an irradiation system was installed for this purpose. The SB2 course is expected for general experiments. In this paper, the current status of the secondary beam courses in HIMAC is presented.

The magnetic moment of 33 Cl ( I π = 3 / 2 + , T 1 / 2 = 2.51 s ) has been re-measured precisely by β -NMR method. The obtained magnetic moment | μ | = 0.7549 ( 3 ) μ N is consistent with the old value 0.7523 ( 16 ) μ N , but is 5 times more accurate. The value is well reproduced by the shell model calculation, μ S M = 0.70 μ N . Combined with the magnetic moment of the mirror partner 33 S, the nuclear matrix elements 〈 l p 〉 , 〈 l n 〉 , 〈 S p 〉 , and 〈 S n 〉 were derived.

The nuclear moments of 13B(Iπ = 3/2−, T1/2 = 17.36ms) have been re-measured precisely in order to establish the spin manipulation technique for the study of the alignment correlation term in mass system A = 13. From the β-NMR on 13B in Pt, the magnetic moment was determined as |μ(13B)| = 3.1778(5)μN. From the β-NQR on 13B in TiO2, the Q moment has been determined as |Q(13B)| = 36.6(8)mb. We have measured the alignment correlation term α_E for 13B β decay for the first time and obtained a preliminary result as α−(13B) = 0.15(12)%/MeV.

The momentum dependences of the nuclear spin polarization P and alignment A of 12 B ( I π = 1 + , T 1 / 2 = 20.20 ms) [ 13 B ( I π = 3 / 2 − , T 1 / 2 = 17.36 ms)] produced in 100 A MeV 13 C [ 15 N] + Be collisions have been measured by detecting the β -ray asymmetry. Because both the P and A were significantly smaller than the prediction from a simple kinematical model, some depolarization mechanisms must be taken into account related with the collision process itself. Comparing the signs of the observed alignment of 12 B and 13 B, the sign of the quadrupole moment Q ( 13 B) was determined to be positive.

Knowledge of electron densities for materials is important for treatment planning for proton and heavier-ion radiotherapy. In order to obtain the electron densities with high precision, we have developed dual-energy X-ray computed tomography using synchrotron radiation. Two monochromatic X-rays with different energies generated from synchrotron radiation enables tomographic imaging which produces a cross sectional image based on electron density plus an additional image based on effective atomic number. Experiments for the dual-energy X-ray CT were made on the BL20B2 beamline at SPring-8. An image intensifier system and a CCD camera were used as the 2-D detectors. The measured electron densities were agreement to within 2% of the theoretical ones. Electron density and effective atomic number provide different contrast in images. Dual-energy X-ray CT can be used for quantitative measurement of the material.

Monochromatic x-ray computed tomography (CT) at two different energies provides information about electron density of human tissue without ambiguity due to the beam hardening effect. This information makes the treatment planning for proton and heavy-ion radiotherapy more precise. We have started a feasibility study on dual energy x-ray CT by using synchrotron radiation. A translation-rotation scanning CT system was developed for quantitative measurement in order to clarify what precision in the measurement was achieved. Liquid samples of solutions of K2HPO4 and solid samples of tissue equivalent materials were used to simulate human tissue. The experiments were carried out using monochromatic x-rays with energies of 40, 70 and 80 keV produced by monochromatizing synchrotron radiation. The solid samples were also measured in a complementary method using high-energy carbon beams to evaluate the electron densities. The measured electron densities were compared with the theoretical values or the values measured in the complementary method. It was found that these values were in agreement in 0.9% on average. Effective atomic numbers were obtained as well from dual-energy x-ray CT. The tomographic image based on each of the electron densities and the effective atomic number presents a different feature of the material, and its contrast drastically differs from that in a conventional CT image.

Our previous study revealed that the use of radiological technology in medicine was spreading in Japan. For example, in 1991, the economic scale was about 10b$ (billion dollars, 1$=121¥) corresponding to 4% of the national health expenditures (240b$) or 0.24% of the nominal GDP (gross domestic products, 4,231b$). This time, the economic scale was compared between Japan and the U.S.A. within limited parameters. (1) For the TDHE (total domestic health expenditures) base, it was 981b$ in the U.S.A. and 219b$ in Japan, implying that the American people spent rather much money for their health. (2) For the economic scale estimated by studying parameters (ESP), approximately 49b$ for the U.S.A. and 12b$ for Japan. ESP in the former is large in magnitude by a factor of 4, implying that U.S.A. people do not hesitate to use radiological technologies for curing their diseases. This tendency was clearly observed by the expenditures on prostate cancer and the FDG-PET and so on. (3) The ratio between ESP and GDP withi...