The PEREGRINE TM program: using physics and computer simulation to improve radiation therapy for cancer
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
When using radiation to treat cancer, doctors rely on physics and computer technology to predict where radiation dose will by deposited in the patient. The accuracy of computerized treatment planning plays a critical role in the ultimate success or failure of the radiation treatment. Inaccurate dose calculations can result in either insufficient radiation for cure, or excessive radiation to nearby healthy tissue, which can reduce the patient's quality of life. This article describes how advanced physics, computer, and engineering techniques originally developed for nuclear weapons and high energy physics research are being used to predict radiation dose in cancer patients. Results for radiation therapy planning, achieved in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) PEREGRINE program, show that these tools can give doctors new insights into their patients' treatments by providing substantially more accurate dose distributions than have been available in the past. It is believed that greater accuracy in radiation therapy treatment planning will save lives by improving doctors' ability to target radiation to the tumor and reduce suffering by reducing the incidence of radiation-induced complications.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Defense Programs (DP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-Eng-48
- OSTI ID:
- 3639
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC-131610; YN0100000; 99-ERD-046
- Journal Information:
- European Journal of Physics, Vol. 19, Issue 6; ISSN 0143-0807
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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