While the superior therapeutic efficacy of hadron therapy has been clearly demonstrated, its availability to cancer patients is limited by the cost and size of current systems. The proposed project seeks to address this problem by utilizing innovative laser-driven ion acceleration technology for the development of a compact, inexpensive proton therapy system that can ultimately be adapted for the acceleration of carbon ions. High-intensity, 200-300 MeV laser-driven proton beams will be demonstrated with the Texas Petawatt Laser through the implementation of several novel acceleration mechanisms with ultrathin CH2 targets. RadiaBeam Technologies, the University of Texas at Austin , and the UCLA Department of Radiation Oncology will collaborate on the conceptual design of a treatment system for delivering proton therapy, and eventually carbon therapy, with performance sufficient for clinical application at a fraction of the cost and fitting in a single room. This major reduction in size and cost of hadron therapy will make the proposed system a much more realistic option for hospitals and clinics worldwide, thus expanding the pool of patients to which this treatment is available and potentially improving cancer survival rates as well as the quality of life for radiotherapy patients.
