Proton Therapy

Our plan to support this important cancer therapy modality is to develop an economical, small diameter, proton linac to accelerate protons from energies in the range of approximately 10 MeV to approximately 250 MeV, with an intermediate output available at approximately 70 MeV. The precise values of the lower, intermediate and higher energies can be negotiated.

This linac will serve as a "booster linac" to boost small currents of protons from the energies available from small cyclotrons or proton linacs to those necessary for proton therapy.

The RFD Linac Structure developed at Linac Systems lends itself to very economical proton linacs at energies up to 100 MeV, at frequencies higher than those commonly considered for proton linacs. A model of this structure, suitable for acceleration of protons from 12-to-70 MeV at 3 GHz (the frequency of most medical electron linacs), is under fabrication. The 12-to-70 MeV unit would have a length of about 5 meters and be driven by a single 6-MW, S-Band klystron.

The Disk-and-Washer Linac Structure, long studied by Linac Systems, lends itself to very economical proton linac structures in the energy range from 70 MeV to 1000 MeV. A model of this structure, suitable for acceleration of protons to 250 MeV at 3 GHz, is under fabrication. The 70-to-250 MeV unit would have a length of 20 meters and be driven by a single 30-MW, S-Band klystron.