title: Paving the Road for Modern Particle Therapy - What Can We Learn from the Experience Gained with Fast Neutron Therapy in Munich?
abstract: While neutron therapy was a highly topical subject in the 70s and 80s, today there are only a few remaining facilities offering fast neutron therapy (FNT). Nevertheless, up to today more than 30,000 patients were treated with neutron therapy. For some indications like salivary gland tumors and malignant melanoma, there is clinical evidence that the addition of FNT leads to superior local control compared to photon treatment alone. FNT was available in Munich from 1985 until 2000 at the Reactor Neutron Therapy (RENT) facility. Patient treatment continued at the new research reactor FRM II in 2007 under improved treatment conditions, and today it can still be offered to selected patients as an individual treatment option. As there is a growing interest in high-linear energy transfer (LET) therapy with new hadron therapy centers emerging around the globe, the clinical data generated by neutron therapy might help to develop biologically driven treatment planning algorithms. Also FNT might experience its resurgence as a combinational partner of modern immunotherapies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Hanno M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Specht
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Waltraud
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reuschel
authors.affiliation: Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz II (FRM II), Technische Universität München , Garching , Germany.
authors.forename: Franz M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München , Munich , Germany.
authors.forename: Severin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kampfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München , Munich , Germany ; Institute of Innovative Radiotherapy (iRT), Department of Radiation Science, Helmholtz Zentrum München , Oberschleißheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Jan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wilkens
authors.affiliation: Forschungs-Neutronenquelle Heinz Maier-Leibnitz II (FRM II), Technische Universität München , Garching , Germany.
authors.forename: Winfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Petry
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München , Munich , Germany ; Institute of Innovative Radiotherapy (iRT), Department of Radiation Science, Helmholtz Zentrum München , Oberschleißheim , Germany.
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Combs
keywords: RBE; adenoidcystic carcinoma; fast neutron therapy; fast neutrons; high-LET radiation; reactor neutrons