Introduction to Radiotherapy with Photon and Electron Beams and Treatment Planning from Conformal Radiotherapy to IMRT

Journal Article · Mon Nov 26 00:00:00 EST 2007 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2825834· OSTI ID:21039433

Wilkens, Jan J ^[1]

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1. Department of Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany)

Besides surgery and chemotherapy, radiation therapy is one of the three main treatment options for cancer patients. This paper provides an introduction to the basic principles of radiotherapy with photons and electrons. It includes a brief summary of the physical properties for photon and electron beams as well as a description of treatment machines used to create these beams. The second part introduces the treatment planning process as it is commonly employed in radiotherapy. It covers dose calculation algorithms, conventional planning strategies for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, and optimization techniques for intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)

• OSTI ID: 21039433
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 958, Issue 1; Conference: 4. International summer school on nuclear physics methods and accelerators in biology and medicine, Prague (Czech Republic), 8-19 Jul 2007; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2825834; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ALGORITHMS
CHEMOTHERAPY
DOSES
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRONS
NEOPLASMS
OPTIMIZATION
PATIENTS
PHOTONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANNING
RADIOTHERAPY
SURGERY