Innovative Physics Device May Revolutionize Cancer Treatment

Research is currently being done in using photons to treat the spread of cancer. This proves to be more effective than current radiation therapy, in that the photons can deposit more cell-killing energy in their tumor targets and less in surrounding healthy tissue. The only drawback is that the protons need to be accelerated to great speeds using a machine called a cyclotron, which costs hundreds of millions of dollars and occupies a room the size of a basketball court. Due to this constraint, this treatment is available at only a handful of centers. Luckily, a new, smaller design known as "dielectric wall accelerator" (DWA) is being presented. This prototype can accelerate protons to up to 100 million electron volts in just a meter, and at the size of just two meters, could provide the power necessary to treat all tumors, including those buried deep in the body, while fitting in a conventional radiation treatment room. Further, this design would allow for both the energy and intensity to be altered at the same time, a technique which cannot be done in current photon-treatment facilities.

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