Hospital - Based Accelerator for Proton Radiotherapy

The rationale for designing a dedicated hospital-based proton accelerator for therapy is reviewed and the specifications for such a machine are given. The main parameters of a suitable conventional proton synchrotron are listed, and certain aspects (main magnet, choice of lattice, choice of proton source and RF system) are discussed in somewhat more detail. Important areas of the design, such as the extraction system, remain to be finished, but there is reason to hope that such a machine could be designed to sell for a few million dollars. This would make protons available to complement photons in radiotherapy.