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. 2016 Dec 1;2(12):1539-1540.
doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.2646.

Heavy Ions in Cancer Therapy

Affiliations

Heavy Ions in Cancer Therapy

Arnold Pompos et al. JAMA Oncol. .
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Figures

Figure
Figure. Biological Effectiveness vs Physical Dose Advantage
Heavy ions also have excellent biological properties because their DNA damage is difficult to repair. Carbon ions (C) have similar biological effectiveness to fast neutrons but better physics dose distribution thanks to the Bragg peak and the pencil-beam scanning. Protons (p+) have dose distribution similar to that of carbon, slightly worse because of the high lateral scattering, and a biological effectiveness similar to x-rays. 60Co indicates cobalt-60; e−, electrons; He, helium; IMRT, intensity-modulated radiotherapy.

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