Short description:

This book provides an overview of recent advances in radiation oncology, many of which have originated from physics and engineering sciences. After an introductory section on basic aspects of 3D medical imaging, the role of 3D imaging in the context of radiotherapy is explored in a series of chapters on the various modern imaging techniques. A further major section addresses 3D treatment planning for conformal radiotherapy, with consideration of both external radiotherapy and brachytherapy. Subsequently the modern techniques of 3D conformal radiotherapy are described, including stereotactic radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided and adaptive radiotherapy, and radiotherapy with charged particles. More clinically oriented chapters explore the use of brachytherapy in patients with prostate cancer, cardiovascular disorders and breast cancer. The book concludes with a section on quality assurance. The text is specifically designed to be accessible to professionals and students with a medical background as well as to newcomers to radiation oncology from the field of physics.

Long description:

This book provides an overview of recent advances in radiation oncology, many of which have originated from physics and engineering sciences. The new technologies in this field have a complex physical, mathematical and technical background that technical assistants, dosimetrists, and physicians frequently find difficult to comprehend. However, this book is specifically designed to be readily understandable by professionals and students with a medical background as well as by newcomers to radiation oncology from the field of physics. All relevant areas of the subject are covered in detail, including 3D imaging and image processing, 3D treatment planning, modern treatment techniques, patient positioning, and aspects of verification and quality assurance.

From the reviews:

"This is a very good book. It is extremely comprehensive and, I suspect, aimed at a variety of audiences. There is certainly information in this book for the clinical oncologist, radiation planning physicist, diagnostic radiologist and both therapy and diagnostic radiographers. The greatest target audience of the book is probably radiation planning physicists. ? This book is a mine of information ? . It should find its way to departmental libraries ? ." (Dr. R. P. Symonds, RAD Magazine, October, 2006)

"New Technologies in Radiation Oncology provides an excellent overview of recent advances in the field, such as 3D treatment planning for conformal radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, proton therapy and image-guided, time-adapted radiotherapy systems. ? the clarity of the explanations together with the many excellent photos and illustrations make the book accessible not only to radiation oncologists and medical physicists but also to any physician interested in the subject." (Cancer World, September-October 2006)

"This book presents a brief synopsis of recent developments in radiation oncology technologies. The stated purpose is to provide an overview of recent advances in radiation oncology. ? The book is written primarily for radiation oncologists and physicists, particularly those who are clinically oriented. The authors are credible experts in the specialty of radiation oncology. ? This is a concise, well written summary of recent advances in the use of imaging for treatment planning and new dose delivery technologies ? ." (James G. Douglas, MD, MS, Doody?s Review Service, March, 2008)

"New technologies in Radiation Oncology provides an excellent overview of recent technologic developments in the field of radiation oncology. This book is intended for physicians and medical physicists who are working in radiation oncology and those just entering the field. ... each chapter includes awealth of references for learning about a particular subject in detail." (Tinsu Pan and Dershan Luo, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, Vol. 49 (4), April, 2008)

Table of Contents:

New Technologies in 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy: Introduction and Overview.- 3D Reconstruction.- Processing and Segmentation of 3D Images.- 3D Visualization.- Image Registration and Data Fusion for Radiotherapy Treatment Planning.- Data Formats, Networking, Archiving and Telemedicine.- Clinical X-Ray Computed Tomography.- 4D Imaging and Treatment Planning.- Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Radiotherapy Planning.- Potential of Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for Radiotherapy Planning.- PET and PET/CT for Radiotherapy Planning.- Patient Positioning in Radiotherapy Using Optical-Guided 3D Ultrasound Techniques.- Definition of Target Volume and Organs at Risk. Biological Target Volume.- Virtual Therapy Simulation.- Dose Calculation Algorithms.- Monte Carlo Dose Calculation for Treatment Planning.- Optimization of Treatment Plans, Inverse Planning.- Biological Models in Treatment Planning.- 2D and 3D Planning in Brachytherapy.- Beam Delivery in 3D Conformal Radiotherapy Using Multi-Leaf Collimators.- Stereotactic Radiotherapy/Radiosurgery.- Extracranial Stereotactic Radiation Therapy.- X-IMRT.- Control of Breathing Motion: Techniques and Models (Gated Radiotherapy).- Image-Guided/Adaptive Radiotherapy.- Predictive Compensation of Breathing Motion in Lung Cancer Radiosurgery.- Proton Therapy.- Heavy Ion Radiotherapy.- Permanent-Implant Brachytherapy in Prostate Cancer.- Vascular Brachytherapy.- Partial Breast Brachytherapy After Conservative Surgery for Early Breast Cancer: Techniques and Results.- 3D Quality Assurance Systems.- Quality Management in Radiotherapy.