Proton Radiotherapy Systems and Clinical Practice

Cornel Butuceanu

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 2:00 P.M. in the H.J.E. Reid Auditorium.

Abstract

Cancer ranks second as cause of death in the North America. The challenges of controlling this disease remain more difficult as the population lives longer. Proton therapy offers another choice in the management of cancer care. Proton therapy was initiated in 1950s and today eight centers are in operation in US and several other are under construction or under consideration. It is the most precise form of radiation treatment available today. While it is non-invasive and painless it accurately targets and kills primary tumor site, leaving surrounding healthy tissue and organs intact and unharmed. By minimizing the radiation to surrounding tissues and organs, the risks of acute and long-term effects are greatly reduced. This type of radiotherapy is highly preferred as treatment option for pediatric cases because children are more susceptible to late effects from standard X-rays therapy due to the fact that growing cells are more sensitive to radiation. This presentation will focus on an introduction to proton therapy: it’s medical advantages over current treatment modalities, the evolution of the accelerators and beam delivery systems, cost effectiveness, applications to clinical radiation oncology and the future outlook for proton therapy.

Speaker

Dr. Cornel Butuceanu earned a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from the College of William and Mary in 2005. After graduation, he was appointed to a postdoctoral fellow position at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF). He joined the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI) as medical physicist in 2009 and participated in all aspects of bringing the center to clinical readiness. Dr. Butuceanu takes great pleasure in sharing his knowledge and past experiences with others. He is married and has twin boys. Photography, hiking and stamp collecting are his favorite hobbies.