A NEW MOBILE ELECTRON ACCELERATOR FOR INTRA OPERATIVE ELECTRON RADIATION THERAPY

A demonstrator of a new, highly mobile, robotized linear electron accelerator for Intra Operative Electron Radiation Therapy (IOERT) is under construction at National Centre for Nuclear Studies. In an IOERT treatment, a high dose of electron radiation is delivered in a single fraction directly to an exposed location after tumor ablation during oncological surgery. Due to the fact that the tumor can be located anywhere in the body, a high maneuverability of the accelerator and its adaptability to anatomical conditions are required. Moreover, since the treatment is usually executed in an unshielded operation room, the radiation protection issues are of principal importance. To assure safety of the patient and medical personnel, the therapeutic head is designed to constrain the radiation to the volume of the tumor lodge while minimizing leakage and stray radiation. For these reasons, construction of accelerators for IOERT differs considerably from the construction of linear electron accelerators for external beam radiation therapy. This paper presents some challenges and solutions in construction of the accelerator and in particular its therapeutic head with beam forming system.