KFO 214:  Heavy Ion Therapy in Radiation Oncology

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2008 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 59368893

The aim of the Clinical Research Unit is the investigation of the clinical potential of ion beam therapy in radiation oncology as compared to other modern techniques like IMRT and proton RT.
Clinical Research Unit is focussed in the initialisation and optimisation of clinical therapy protocols for ion beam therapy. To do so, the clinical studies will be accompanied by radiobiological as well as medical physical research projects. Two existing Phase I/II studies will be continued as phase III studies where ion beam RT will be compared against IMRT and proton RT. Two new phase I/II studies will widen the spectrum of indications for ion beam therapy.
Through the development of new technologies for the beam application and therapy planning as well as the investigation of normal tissue toxicity under heavy ion irradiation and their interaction with chemotherapy, the basis for a forthcoming optimised application of ion beam therapy will be established, which makes use of all physical and biological benefits of ions as compared to conventional RT. The Heidelberg ion beam therapy facility, which was recently finalised, offers unique opportunities for this project, since it is the first clinical facility offering intensity modulated proton and ion beam therapy worldwide. The aims of the subprojects are:
TP 0: coordination/Management: Coordination of the six interdisciplinary scientific subprojects (TP) and integration into the existing research activities,
TP 1: initiation of clinical studies on chordoma, chondrosarkoma and glioblastoma,
TP 2: initiation of clinical studies on prostate and pancreatic carcinoma,
TP 3: radiobiology: Evaluation of RBE of the spinal cord and prostate in animal models and changes of the spinal cord toxicity during chemotherapy,
TP 4: radio-chemotherapy: Investigation (in vitro) of radio-chemotherapy combined with ion beam therapy for malignant brain tumours and pancreatic carcinoma,
TP 5: therapy of moving organs: Development of methods to localise moving tumours and to adapt the treatment to the tumour motion in real time (tumour tracking),
TP 6: therapy planning: Development of algorithms for therapy planning, which are required for the treatment of moving organs.

• DFG Programme: Clinical Research Units

Projects

• 4D treatment plan optimization and motion detection via radiography (Applicant Bert, Christoph )
• 4D treatment plan optimization and motion detection via radiography (Applicant Jäkel, Oliver )
• Adaptive Planungskonzepte für Lungentumorbestrahlungen (Applicant Bert, Christoph )
• Adaptive Planungskonzepte für Lungentumorbestrahlungen (Applicant Herfarth, Klaus )
• Biologisch Individualisierte Schwerionentherapie des Lungenkarzinoms (Applicant Abdollahi, Ph.D., Amir )
• Biologisch Individualisierte Schwerionentherapie des Lungenkarzinoms (Applicant Debus, Jürgen )
• Biomarker der Schwerionentherapie (Applicant Abdollahi, Ph.D., Amir )
• Biomarker der Schwerionentherapie (Applicant Debus, Jürgen )
• Implementierung der Ionentherapie für bewegte Tumoren im Gastrointestinalbereich (Applicant Combs, Stephanie )
• In vitro Untersuchungen zur Radiochemotherapie mit Protonen und Kohlenstoffionen (Applicant Weber, Klaus-Josef )
• Koordination und Management (Applicant Jäkel, Oliver )
• Präklinische Studien zur Wirkung von Schwerionen auf Normalgewebe und hypoxische Tumoren (Applicant Karger, Christian Peter )
• Studien zur Prostata und sakralen Chordomen mit adaptiver Therapieplanung (Applicant Herfarth, Klaus )
• Treatment or low-grade meningiomas with helium, proton and carbon ions: Optimization of treatment planning, establishment of study concepts and in vivo verification (Applicants Combs, Stephanie ;  Parodi, Katia )

• Participating Institution: Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ); GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH; Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Jürgen Debus
• Leader: Professor Dr. Oliver Jäkel