Utilization of pion production accelerators in biomedical applications

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5703940

Rosen, L

A discussion is presented of biomedical applications of pion-producing accelerators in a number of areas, but with emphasis on pion therapy for treatment of solid, non-metastasized malignancies. The problem of cancer management is described from the standpoint of the physicist, magnitude of the problem, and its social and economic impact. Barriers to successful treatment are identified, mainly with regard to radiation therapy. The properties and characteristics of ..pi.. mesons, first postulated on purely theoretical grounds by H. Yukawa are described. It is shown how they can be used to treat human cancer and why they appear to have dramatic advantages over conventional forms of radiation by virtue of the fact that they permit localization of energy deposition, preferentially, in the tumor volume. The Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), and its operating characteristics, are briefly described, with emphasis on the biomedical channel. The design of a relatively inexpensive accelerator specifically for pion therapy is described as is also the status of clinical trials using the existing Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility. The advantages of proton over electron accelerator for the production of high quality, high intensity negative pion beams suitable for radiation therapy of malignancies is also addressed. Other current, medically related applications of LAMPF technology are also discussed.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5703940
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-79-2905; CONF-791128-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
430100 -- Particle Accelerators-- Design
Development
& Operation
550603* -- Medicine-- External Radiation in Therapy-- (1980-)
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ABSORPTION
ACCELERATORS
ANIMAL CELLS
BIOLOGICAL LOCALIZATION
BOSONS
DATA
DATA FORMS
DEPTH DOSE DISTRIBUTIONS
DISEASES
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY ABSORPTION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HADRONS
INFORMATION
ISOLATED VALUES
LAMPF LINAC
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
MEDICINE
MESON FACTORIES
MESONS
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
NUMERICAL DATA
OPERATION
PIONS
PSEUDOSCALAR MESONS
RADIATION DOSE DISTRIBUTIONS
RADIOLOGY
RADIOTHERAPY
SPATIAL DOSE DISTRIBUTIONS
THERAPY
TUMOR CELLS