Overview of recent advances in treatment planning for ion beam radiotherapy ∗

To achieve practical calculations of dose delivery in ion beam radiotherapy, the physical models of beam propagation need to be properly implemented and supplemented by models describing the complex mechanisms of radiation damage in the biological tissues. TRiP98 is the first and most advanced treatment planning system for particles, in which physical and biological models have been incorporated to develop a clinically applicable tool for dose optimization and delivery. We report our recent advances in TRiP98 code development, in particular towards hypoxia-driven and multi-modal dose optimization. We also discuss the present needs and possible extensions of our models for which input from nanoscale physics is required.