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Опубликовано в библиотеке: 2021-11-12
Источник: Science in Russia, №6, 2013, C.34-35

The proton accelerators, developed at P. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FIAN), will be used for the treatment of cancer in Russia, Slovakia, USA, and other countries, informed the FlAN-Inform Agency for Scientific Information.

 

As we know, electron accelerators, "bombarding" tumors by gamma-ray beams, play the leading role in antitumor therapy. However, this method has a serious defect: the adjacent normal cells are irradiated together with the tumorous cells. Accelerators of a different type--proton ones--can minimize this problem, as their beams are virtually harmless for normal tissues.

 

Proton therapy is known for about 60 years, but it is not still widely used as it is very bulky and expensive. Therefore, the electron devices with the efficiency not exceeding 50 percent retain a monopoly in modern high-technology medicine, using radiation sources for cancer treatment. And according to the Scientific Information Agency, the device developed at FIAN can basically change the efficiency of radiotherapy.

 

The interest to the device is explained by two reasons, thinks Vladimir Balakin, RAS Corresponding Member, FIAN director, and head of the works. First--the Russian device is compact (weighs ~30 t and can be placed in one room) and economical (consumes 7-10-fold less electric energy than other accelerators). And though its price is a little bit higher than that of an electron device, it is much more effective. And secondly--the technology of irradiation is different; the tumor absorbs a dose higher than with the available devices, while normal tissues are less exposed.

 

Generally all accelerators of this type are focused on the involved cells and spare the normal ones, emphasizes FIAN-Inform. "Proton radiation is better as it 'slows down' a bit, when passing through the body, and the exposure is very insignificant," explains Balakin. "Only in the end of the path it acquires a high destructive force, reaching the so-called Bragg's peak (William Bragg, an English physicist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1915 for the discovery of this effect). Eventually the proton rays hit the target." A special feature of the Russian device is that the tumor/normal tissue dose proportion is several times better than that of the American, Japanese, and other analogs. This result was attained by special studies of each element of the

 
стр. 34

 

accelerator; the results are supported by more than 30 patents.

 

An important component of the success is the mathematical algorithm developed by Balakin. "Today a tumor is exposed from two or three sides," he emphasizes. "If it is exposed from, say, 30 directions, the beam intensity from each side can be reduced 10-fold to get the same doze, while the intact tissue would absorb 10 times lesser dose!" Moreover, this algorithm works selectively, picking out "optimal" zones, to which radiation can be directed without damaging the intact tissues.

 

The Agency of Scientific Information informs that the first device has been sent to the USA and is now being certified there at the hospital in the town of Flint (Michigan); it will be used for the treatment of patients this year. Other hospitals in the USA are also interested in Balakin's device. It took part in a recent tender at one of the largest medical centers of the USA, the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Its official results are expected at the institute in the near future.

 

Russian physicians will soon also be able to evaluate the efficiency and economy of the proton radiocomplex. It was mounted in Protvino (near Moscow) 4 years ago and at last passed the technical certification stage. The clinical trials are now in progress. In the middle of May we were informed that the FIAN device had won the tender to be delivered to the Medical Radiology Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences in Obninsk (Moscow Region). The device intended for the hospital of the Pushchino Scientific Center (Moscow Region) has been waiting to be certified for several years.

 

The Russian device, which can precisely aim at the malignant tumor and destroy it, is planned to be introduced to Europe as well. One of such devices has been mounted in Slovakia and is waiting for certification. If it proves that it can work in accordance with the EU standards, it will take part in tenders in other European countries. Today four devices based on proton accelerators of other producers are working there, but they do not cover the annual requirements even by 1 percent.

 

Proton irradiation proved to be highly effective in the therapy of many kinds of cancer, including cancer of the brain, spine, and prostate. If the revolutionary technology, created at FIAN, will be further developing, this highly technological method, created at the junction of nuclear physics and medicine, will come literally to every hospital, making the treatment of cancer truly available.

 

O. Ovchinnikova, "Foreign Hospitals Will Be Equipped With Russian Proton Radiodevices", FIAN-Inform, May 29, 2013

 

Photo from FIAN site

 

Prepared by Marina MALYGINA


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Источник: Science in Russia, №6, 2013, C.34-35

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