Particle beam cancer therapy: The promise and challenges
Tuesday, March 4, 2014 - 08:01
in Physics & Chemistry
Advances in accelerators built for fundamental physics research have inspired improved cancer treatment facilities. Accelerator physicists are natural-born problem solvers, finding ever more powerful ways to generate and steer particle beams for research into the mysteries of physics, materials, and matter. And from the very beginning, this field born at the dawn of the atomic age has actively sought ways to apply advanced technologies to tackle more practical problems. At the top of the list has always been taking aim at cancer, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. today, affecting one in two men and one in three women. But will one of the most promising -- a carbon ion treatment facility -- be built in the U.S.?