Medical Applications

of Accelerators

AJ Lennox Sacramento AAPT/APS 2004

 Medical Applications of
Accelerators
• Basic Types of Accelerators
_ Linear: High voltage or radiofrequency
_ Circular:
• Cyclotron or Betatron
• Synchrotron
• Common Medical Applications
– Photon/Electron Radiation Therapy
– Isotope Production
– Equipment Sterilization
– Hadron Therapy
• Future Applications
– Angiography
– Boron Neutron Capture Therapy
 Linear Accelerators
Cockroft-Walton - first high voltage accelerator

Scharf, Particle Accelerators and their Uses, p 17.

Also: Van de Graaff, Tandem Cascade, Dynamitron

 Linear Accelerators
Radiofrequency (rf) Ion Linac

Drift Tubes

Livingood, Cyclic Particle Accelerators, p 7.

Also: rf electron linacs

Circular Accelerators
Schematic of Basic Cyclotron

Livingood, Cyclic Particle Accelerators, p111

 Circular Accelerators
Argonne Cyclotron Showing Deuteron Beam

Livingood, Cyclic Particle Accelerators, p 129

Circular Accelerators
Schematic of Basic Betatron

Scharf, Particle Accelerators and their Uses, p 23.

 Circular Accelerators

Schematic of Basic Synchrotron

Kernan, Particle Accelerators, 1968.

Photon/Electron Therapy
Schematic Varian Clinac 1800 linear accelerator

Karzmark et al, Medical Electron Accelerators, p12.

Photon/Electron Therapy

Gantry rotates
around patient.

Linear accelerators
are manufactured by
several vendors.
 Isotope Production
11 MeV proton cyclotron for short-lived isotopes

Univ of Wisconsin,
1999
Also 70-MeV cyclotrons for long-lived isotopes
 Isotope Production
7 MeV proton linac for short-lived isotopes

AccSys Technology, 1999

Also: 70-100 MeV linacs for long-lived isotopes

Equipment Sterilization
10-MeV Moelnlycke electron linacs

Scharf, Biomedical Particle Accelerators, p 577.

 Hadron Therapy
Proton Therapy Synchrotron under construction at Fermilab

Also Cyclotrons
 Hadron Therapy

Heavy Ion Synchrotrons at Chiba (Tokyo)

HIMAC

Science, 261(1270), 1993

 Hadron Therapy
Superconducting Cyclotron on Gantry for Neutron Therapy

Maughan and Yudelev, Harper Hospital, Detroit

 Hadron Therapy
Fast Neutron Therapy Cyclotron - Seattle

Be target
protons

Maughan and Yudelev

 Hadron Therapy
Proton Linac for Neutron Therapy - Fermilab
 Hadron Therapy
p(66)Be(49) produces neutrons
 Angiography
2 GeV electron synchrotron -Daresbury, UK

Scharf, Biomedical Particle Accelerators, p 475.

Boron-Neutron Capture Therapy

2.5 MeV Electrostatic Quadrupole HV accelerator (Berkeley)

Ludewigt et al, Albuquerque, 1997, p 489.

 References

• American Nuclear Society, Proceedings of Topical Meeting on

Nuclear Applications of Accelerator Technology, Albuquerque
NM, Nov 16-20, American Nuclear Society,1997.
• Karzmark,CJ, et al, Medical Electron Accelerators, McGraw-Hill,
NY, 1993.
• Kernan, WJ, Accelerators, US Atomic Energy Commission, Oak
Ridge, TN, 1968.
• Livingood, Cyclic Particle Accelerators, Van Nostrand, NJ,
1961.
• Scharf, W, Particle Accelerators and Their Uses, Harwood
Academic Publishers, UK 1986.
• Scharf, W, Biomedical Particle Accelerators, American Institute
of Physics, New York, 1994.