The Compton backscattering process and radiotherapy

Abstract

Radiotherapy utilizes photons for treating cancer. Historically these photons have been produced by the bremsstrahlung process. In this paper we introduce Compton backscattering as an alternate method of photon production for cancer treatment. Compton backscattering is a well-established method to produce high-energy photons (gamma rays) for nuclear physics experiments. Compton backscattering involves the collision of a low-energy (eV) photon with a high-energy (hundreds of MeV) electron. It is shown that the photons scattered in the direction opposite to the direction of the initial photon (backscattered) will have the energy desired for photon beam therapy. The output of Compton backscattering is a high-energy photon beam (gamma-ray beam), which is well collimated and has minimal low-energy components. Such gamma beams may be used for conventional high-energy photon treatments, production of radionuclides, and generation of positrons and neutrons. The theoretical basis for this process is reviewed and Monte Carlo calculations of dose profiles for peak energies of 7, 15, and 30 MeV are presented. The potential advantages of the Compton process and its future role in radiotherapy will be discussed.

Collimated ultrabright gamma rays from a petawatt-laser-driven QED wire wiggler (Conference Presentation)

“…From Eqs. (4) and (5), one can obtain the conversion efficiency η ∝ a 3 0 , in reasonable agreement with the results shown in Fig. 4(d).…”

“…Bright γ−rays with energy above MeV are highly demanded in broad applications ranging from laboratory astrophysics [1], emerging nuclear photonics [2,3], to radiotherapy [4,5].…”

Enhanced Multi-MeV Photon Emission by a Laser-Driven Electron Beam in a Self-Generated Magnetic Field

“…The prospect of generating copious quantities of multi-MeV photons in laser-target interactions has recently attracted particular interest due to its many potential applications, including pair production [1], laboratory astrophysics [2], photonuclear spectroscopy [3,4], radiation therapy [5], and radiosurgery [6].…”

Highly efficient laser-driven Compton gamma-ray source

“…The pursuit of compact γ-ray sources is motivated by many applications in fundamental science, industry, and medicine [1,2]. High-energy γ-ray radiation has become an immensely useful tool for probing hot dense matter [3], photonuclear spectroscopy [4], inspection of nuclear waste [5], material synthesis [6], and cancer therapy [7]. With the rapid development of laser technology, the production of γ-rays based on laser-plasma interactions has attracted considerable attention in the past decade.…”