Prompt-gamma fall-off estimation with C-ion irradiation at clinical energies, using a knife-edge slit camera: A Monte Carlo study

Purpose: In-vivo range verification has been a hot topic in particle therapy since two decades. Many efforts have been done for proton therapy, while fewer studies were conducted considering a beam of carbon ions. In the present work, a simulation study was performed to show whether it is possible to measure the prompt-gamma fall-off inside the high neutron background typical of carbon-ion irradiation, using a knife-edge slit camera. In addition to this, we wanted to estimate the uncertainty in retrieving the particle range in the case of a pencil beam of C-ions at clinically relevant energy of 150 MeVu. Methods: For these purposes, the Monte Carlo code FLUKA was adopted for simulations and three different analytical methods were implemented to get the accuracy in the range retrieval of the simulated set-up. Results: The analysis of simulation data has brought to the promising and desired precision of about 4 mm in the determination of the dose profile fall-off in case of a spill irradiation, for which all the three cited methods were coherent in their predictions. Conclusions: The Prompt Gamma Imaging technique should be further studied as a tool to reduce range uncertainties affecting carbon ion radiation therapy.