title: INSIDE in-beam positron emission tomography system for particle range monitoring in hadrontherapy.
abstract: The quality assurance of particle therapy treatment is a fundamental issue that can be addressed by developing reliable monitoring techniques and indicators of the treatment plan correctness. Among the available imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET) has long been investigated and then clinically applied to proton and carbon beams. In 2013, the Innovative Solutions for Dosimetry in Hadrontherapy (INSIDE) collaboration proposed an innovative bimodal imaging concept that combines an in-beam PET scanner with a tracking system for charged particle imaging. This paper presents the general architecture of the INSIDE project but focuses on the in-beam PET scanner that has been designed to reconstruct the particles range with millimetric resolution within a fraction of the dose delivered in a treatment of head and neck tumors. The in-beam PET scanner has been recently installed at the Italian National Center of Oncologic Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Pavia, Italy, and the commissioning phase has just started. The results of the first beam test with clinical proton beams on phantoms clearly show the capability of the in-beam PET to operate during the irradiation delivery and to reconstruct on-line the beam-induced activity map. The accuracy in the activity distal fall-off determination is millimetric for therapeutic doses.
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Giuseppina
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bisogni
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Physics, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Attili
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battistoni
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Belcari
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Niccolo'
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Camarlinghi
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Piergiorgio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cerello
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coli
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Guerra
authors.affiliation: Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire CERN , CH-1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Physics, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferrero
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fiorina
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giraudo
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kostara
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morrocchi
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pennazio
authors.affiliation: University of Torino, Department of Physics, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peroni
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Antonietta
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Piliero
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pirrone
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivetti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuel D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Rolo
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rosso
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: University of Pisa, Department of Physics, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy; Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sportelli
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale Fisica Nucleare INFN , Sezione di Torino, Via Pietro Giuria 1, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wheadon
keywords: hadrontherapy; particle range verification; positron emission tomography