The dosimetric parameters of the discrete spot scanning proton beam have been measured as part of the clinical commissioning program, and the machine is found to function in a safe manner, making it suitable for patient treatment.

As with most projects for which a considerable amount of new technology is developed and which have duration spanning several years, at project completion it was determined that several upgrades would improve the overall system performance. Some possible upgrades are discussed. Overall, the system has been very robust, accurate, reproducible, and reliable. The authors found the pencil beam scanning system to be particularly satisfactory; prostate treatments can be delivered on the scanning nozzle in less time than is required on the passive scattering nozzle.

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The first patients were treated with proton beams in 1955 at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in California. In 1970, proton beams began to be used in research facilities to treat cancer patients using fractionated treatment regimens. It was not until 1990 that proton treatments were carried out in hospital-based facilities using technology and techniques that were comparable to those for modern photon therapy. Clinical data strongly support the conclusion that proton therapy is superior to conventional radiation therapy in a number of disease sites. Treatment planning studies have shown that proton dose distributions are superior to those for photons in a wide range of disease sites indicating that additional clinical gains can be achieved if these treatment plans can be reliably delivered to patients. Optimum proton dose distributions can be achieved with intensity modulated protons ͑IMPT͒, but very few patients have received this advanced form of treatment. It is anticipated widespread implementation of IMPT would provide additional improvements in clinical outcomes. Advances in the last decade have led to an increased interest in proton therapy. Currently, proton therapy is undergoing transitions that will move it into the mainstream of cancer treatment. For example, proton therapy is now reimbursed, there has been rapid development in proton therapy technology, and many new options are available for equipment, facility configuration, and financing. During the next decade, new developments will increase the efficiency and accuracy of proton therapy and enhance our ability to verify treatment planning calculations and perform quality assurance for proton therapy delivery. With the implementation of new multi-institution clinical studies and the routine availability of IMPT, it may be possible, within the next decade, to quantify the clinical gains obtained from optimized proton therapy. During this same period several new proton therapy facilities will be built and the cost of proton therapy is expected to decrease, making proton therapy routinely available to a larger population of cancer patients.

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