Speaker
Simon Jolly
(University College London)
Description
Have you ever wondered what connects the Large Hadron Collider to cancer treatment? Did you know that more than half of the world’s particle accelerators are used not for fundamental physics research but in cancer treatment and other branches of medicine?
This talk introduces some of the ways that particle accelerators are used in cancer treatment, from the most common radiotherapy gantries to the more advanced technology needed for proton beam therapy. Along the way it discusses how we use beams of radiation to treat cancer effectively and why the machines needed for proton beam therapy are so large and complex, along with an overview of the NHS’ new proton beam therapy facilities.
