Commissioning and initial experience with the first clinical gantry-mounted proton therapy system

The purpose of this study is to describe the comprehensive commissioning process and initial clinical experience of the Mevion S250 proton therapy system, a gantry-mounted, single-room proton therapy platform clinically implemented in the S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO, USA. The Mevion S250 system integrates a compact synchrocyclotron with a C-inner gantry, an image guidance system and a 6D robotic couch into a beam delivery platform. We present our commissioning process and initial clinical experience, including i) CT calibration; ii) beam data acquisition and machine characteristics; iii) dosimetric commissioning of the treatment planning system; iv) validation through the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core credentialing process, including irradiations on the spine, prostate, brain, and lung phantoms; v) evaluation of localization accuracy of the image guidance system; and vi) initial clinical experience. Clinically, the system operates well and has provided an excellent platform for the treatment of diseases with protons.