Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics

From the essential background physics and radiobiology to the latest imaging and treatment modalities, the updated second edition of Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics: Theory and Practice covers all aspects of the subject.

In Volume I, Part A includes the Interaction of Radiation with Matter – charged particles and photons - and the Fundamentals of Dosimetry – with an extensive section on small-field physics. Part B covers Radiobiology with increased emphasis on hypofractionation. Part C describes Equipment for Imaging and Therapy including MR-guided linear accelerators. Part D on Dose Measurement includes chapters on ionisation chambers, solid-state detectors, film and gels, as well as a detailed description and explanation of Codes of Practice for Reference Dose Determination including detector correction factors in small fields. Part E describes the properties of Clinical (external) Beams. The various methods (or ‘algorithms’) for Computing Doses in Patients irradiated by photon, electron and proton beams are described in Part F with increased emphasis on Monte-Carlo-based and grid-based deterministic algorithms.

In Volume 2, Part G covers all aspects of Treatment Planning including CT-, MR- and Radionuclide-based patient imaging, Intensity-Modulated Photon beams, Electron and Proton Beams, Stereotactic and Total Body Irradiation and the use of the dosimetric and radiobiological metrics TCP and NTCP for plan evaluation and optimisation. Quality Assurance fundamentals with application to equipment and processes is covered in Part H. Radionuclides, equipment and methods for Brachytherapy and Targeted Molecular Therapy are covered in Parts I and J respectively. Finally, Part K is devoted to Radiation Protection of the public, staff and patients. Extensive tables of Physical Constants, Photon, Electron and Proton Interaction data, and typical Photon Beam and Radionuclide data are given in Part L.

Edited by recognised authorities in the field, with the individual chapters written by renowned specialists, this second edition of Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics provides the essential up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge to deliver safe and effective radiotherapy. It will be of interest to clinical and research medical physicists, radiation oncologists, radiation technologists, PhD and Masters students.

Table of Contents

RADIOACTIVITY
Interaction of Charged Particles with Matter
Interactions of Photons with Matter
The Monte Carlo Simulation of Radiation Transport
Principles and Basic Concepts in Radiation Dosimetry

RADIOBIOLOGY
Radiobiology of Tumors
Radiobiology of Normal Tissues
Dose Fractionation in Radiotherapy

EQUIPMENT
Kilovoltage X-Ray Units
Linear Accelerators
Cobalt Machines
Simulators
Portal Imaging Devices

DOSE MEASUREMENT
Ionisation Chambers
Radiothermoluminescent Dosimeters and Diodes
Radiation Sensitive Films and Gels
Absolute Dose Determination under Reference Conditions
Relative Dose Measurements and Commissioning

CLINICAL BEAMS
From Measurements to Calculations
Kilovoltage X-Rays
Megavoltage Photon Beams
Manual Dose Calculations in Photon Beams
Electron Beams

PATIENT DOSE COMPUTATION METHODS
Principles of Patient Dose Computation
Patient Dose Computation for Photon Beams
Patient Dose Computation for Electron Beams
Monte-Carlo Based Patient Dose Computation

TREATMENT PLANNING
Target Definition
Patient Data Acquisition
Magnetic Resonance (MR) Imaging in Treatment Planning
Beam Definition - Virtual Simulation
Photon-Beam Treatment Planning Techniques
Electron-Beam Treatment Planning Techniques
Dose Evaluation of Treatment Plans
Biological Evaluation of Treatment Plans

QUALITY ASSURANCE
Rationale and Management of the Quality System
Quality Control of Megavoltage Equipment
Quality Assurance of the Treatment Planning Process
Quality Control of Treatment Delivery
Recording and Verification - Networking
Data Communication with DICOM

SPECIAL TECHNIQUES
Conformal and Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy
Intensity-Modulation Therapy: Practical Aspects
Stereotactic Techniques
Proton Beams in Radiotherapy
Total Body Irradiation (TBI)
Total Skin Electron Irradiation
High LET Modalities

BRACHYTHERAPY
Clinical Introduction to Brachytherapy
Calibration and Quality Assurance of Brachytherapy Sources
Afterloading Equipment for Brachytherapy
Dose Calculation for Brachytherapy Sources
Brachytherapy Treatment Planning
Radiobiology of Brachytherapy

THERAPY WITH UNSEALED SOURCES
Dosimetry of Unsealed Sources
Radionuclide Selection for Unsealed Source Therapy
Radiopharmaceutical Targeting for Unsealed Source Therapy

RADIATION PROTECTION IN RADIOTHERAPY
Theoretical Background to Radiation Protection
Radiation Protection Regulation
Practical Radiation Protection in Radiotherapy
Radiation Protection Regulation in the United Kingdom

REFERENCE DATA

Philip Mayles, Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, UK.

Alan Nahum, formerly of the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, UK.

Jean Claude Rosenwald, Institute Curie, Paris, France