Medical applications with electron beam generated by laser plasma accelerators

Laser plasma accelerators provide electron beams with parameters of interest in many fields and in particular for radiotherapy. A short review of progress achieved recently will be presented. We have performed dose deposition simulations using a quasi-monoenergetic electron beam in the 200 MeV range as produced today with laser-plasma accelerators. The electron beam properties offer advantageous dosimetric characteristics compare to those calculated with conventional radiotherapy with high energy photons. The lateral penumbra of treatment fields for focused electron beams is smaller compared to 6 MeV photons at depths smaller than 10 cm. The depth dose curve shows a broad maximum at large depths (> 20 cm). These advantages result in an improvement of the quality of a clinically approved prostate treatment plan. While the target coverage is the same or even slightly better for 250 MeV electrons compared to photons the dose sparing of sensitive structures is improved. More precisely, the dose to the rectum is reduced by 19% for 250 MeV, focused electrons. These findings agree with previous results regarding very high energy electrons as a treatment modality.