In-beam PET imaging for the control of heavy-ion tumour therapy

A method for the in-situ control of the heavy-ion tumour therapy by means of positron emission tomography is introduced. This method is founded on the measurement of the dynamic spatial distributions of β⁺-emitters generated by nuclear fragmentation during the irradiation and their relation to the dose. In order to study this relationship and to derive the dose distribution from the measured β⁺-activity distribution, a framework of model calculations is used. Results of phantom experiments with ¹²C ion beams are presented, demonstrating good agreement between experiment and calculation as well as the possibilities and limits of the PET-technique for treatment plan verification and beam monitoring