Radiotherapy Physics in Practice

Chapter 1: Introduction, J.R. Williams and D.I. Thwaites 1. The development of radiotherapy 2. Radiotherapeutic aims 3. Radiotherapy methods 4. Requirements for accuracy and precision 5. Quality assurance 6. The role of medical physics References Chapter 2: Planning and acceptance testing of megavoltage therapy installations, P.R. Almond and J.L. Horton Introduction 2. Types of equipment 3. Equipment specification 4. Machine selection criteria 5. Treatment room and design 6. Acceptance testing Summary and conclusions References Further reading Chapter 3: Absolute dose determination, B.J. Mihnheer, D.I. Thwaites, and J.R. Williams Introduction 2. Specification of beam quality 3. Calibration of ionization chambers 4. Derivation of absorbed dose to water using calibrated ionization chambers 5. Practical application of protocols 6. Calibration of the dose monitor 7. Quality control of calibration 8. Accuracy of the absolute dose determination Summary and conclusions References Chapter 4: Relative dosimetry, J.L. Horton Introduction 2. Dosimetry equipment 3. Dosimetry notebook 4. Photon measurements 5. Electron measurements Summary References Additional reading Chapter 5: Quality control of megavoltage therapy units, K.A. Johansson, G. Sernbo, and J. van Dam Introduction 2. General methods and test materials 3. What should be tested 4. Test frequencies 5. Responsibilities 6. Reference data set and standard values 7. Tolerance and action levels 8. Instruction and documentation 9. Daily test 10. Weekly/monthly tests 11. Extended tests Refernces Further reading Chapter 6: Kilovoltage X-rays, S.C. Klevenhagen and D.I. Thwaites Introduction 2. Kilovoltage X-ray equipment 3. Specification of beam quality 4. Beam characteristics 5. Absorbed dose determination 6. Measurement of radiation distribution 7. Acceptance and quality control References Chapter 7: Simulators and CT scanners, J. Van Dyk and K. Mah Introduction Definitions related to patient planning Methods of deriving patient-specific data Simulators CT scanners for therapy planning Specialized imaging procedures Summary and conclusions References Chapter 8: Treatment planning for external beam therapy, A.T. Redpath, J.R. Williams, and D.I. Thwaites Introduction 2. General principles and planning techniques 3. Dose calculation within the patient 4. Optimization 5. CT in treatment planning 6. Computer planning 7. Standard treatment planning 8. Non-routine planning 9. Electron planning 10. Quality assurance References Chapter 9: Brachytherapy, E.G. Aird and J.R. Williams Introduction 2. Sealed radioactive sources 3. Sealed source dosimetry 4. Radiation protection and quality assurance 5. Afterloading systems 6. Dosimetry systems 7. Practical aspects of absorbed dose calculation 8. Radiobiological models References Additional reading Chapter 10: Treatment verfication and in vWilliams, Jerry R. is the author of 'Radiotherapy Physics in Practice' with ISBN 9780199633166 and ISBN 0199633169.