Enhanced efficiency in cell killing at the penetration depths around the Bragg peak of a radioactive 9C-ion beam

Purpose: To evaluate the potential importance of radioactive 9 C-ion beam in cancer radiotherapy. Methods and Materials: Human salivary gland (HSG) cells were exposed to a double-radiation-source 9 C beam at different depths around the Bragg peak. Cell survival fraction was determined by standard clonogenic assay. For comparison, the same experiment was conducted for a therapeutic 12 C beam. To determine relative biologic effectiveness (RBE) values, HSG cells were also irradiated with 60 Co γ-rays of fractionation scheme as the reference. Results: The 9 C beam was more efficient in cell killing at the depths around its Bragg peak than was the 12 C beam, which corresponded to the 9 C-ion stopping region and where delayed low-energy particles were emitted. The RBE value at 50% survival level for the 9 C beam varied from 1.38 to 4.23. Compared with the 12 C beam, the RBE values for the 9 C beam were always higher; an increase in RBE by a factor of up to 1.87 has been observed at the depths distal to the Bragg peak. Conclusion: The potential advantage of radioactive 9 C-ion beam in cancer therapy has been revealed at low dose rate in comparison with a therapeutic 12 C beam. This observation, however, remains to be investigated at therapeutic dose rates in the future.