Studies of J-PET detector to monitor range uncertainty in proton therapy

A problem of range uncertainty is currently one of the most challenging in proton radiotherapy. To tackle that issue, the new, affordable, modular, lightweight, portable and reconfigurable technology of plastic scintillator based positron emission tomography was investigated. Monte Carlo simulation study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of the J-PET technology for proton beam range monitoring. Various configurations (single-layer, multi-layer, full ring, dual-head) were considered. 3D PET images were reconstructed using open-source CASToR software and the expected detector signal, as a function of detector acceptance and efficiency, was estimated. A relationship between the dose and activity profiles was investigated. Experimental validation of the presented results is currently under the preparation.