ABSTRACT
There is significant worldwide interest in the medical use of proton beams with energies
ranging between 65 and 250 MeV because of their favourable depth-dose properties (see
Figure 46.1), and considerable technological progress has been made (Bonnet 1993; ICRU
1998; Sisterson 2004). This chapter presents the physical and technological basis of proton
therapy (Wilson 1946; Fowler 1981; Bonnet 1993; Chu et al. 1993; Webb 1993; Linz 1995),
as well as covering the terminology, procedures and tools now available.
