Present status and future prospect of pion therapy

The pion radiotherapy at PSI is chiefly used under the aspects of a conformal application technique of pion irradiation, less under the aspects of using a high LET irradiation. We don't actually know which part of therapeutic gain in the treatment especially of cervix cancer and soft tissue sarcoma is due to the high LET quality of the used beam. But we know that high dose pion radiotherapy would not have been feasible without conformal application technique. At PSI all requirements are taken to continue the current pion treatment programs. (author)