In this thesis, a tracking system was developed by modifying an add-on collimator, the Siemens Moduleaf, for realtime applications in radiotherapy. As the add-on collimator works almost completely autonomously of the linear accelerator (LinAc), no modifications to the latter were necessary. The adaptations to the Moduleaf were mainly software-based. In order to reduce the complexity of the system, outdated electronic parts were replaced with newer components where practical. Verification was performed by measuring the latency of the system as well as the impact on applied dose to a predefined target volume, moving in the leaf's travel direction. Latency measurements in software were accomplished by comparing the target and current positions of the leaves. For dose measurements, a Gafchromic EBT2 film was placed beneath the target 4D phantom, in between solid water plates, and moved alongside with it. Based on the results, a tracking-capable add-on collimator seems to be a useful tool for reducing the margins for the treatment of small, slow-moving targets. Radiotherapy is one of the most important methods used for the treatment of cancer. Irradiating a moving target is also one of the most challenging tasks to accomplish in modern radiotherapy.

This report describes the first year of a project to design and construct multileaf collimators (MLC) to be used in proton radiotherapy. This research project is a joint collaborative effort between the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) and is part of a larger project to build a state-of-the-art proton radiotherapy facility in Philadelphia in collaboration with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The accomplishments during the start-up phase in the first year of the project are described in this report. (1) Assemble personnel required to perform the tasks listed in the Statement of Work, (2) Establish an efficient working relationship with the Radiation Therapy group at WRAMC, (3) Install the Monte Carlo simulation code GEANT4 and validate our use of it using published data, (4) Study, using GEANT4 and published data, the neutron production from and activation of MLCs made of different materials (e.g. tungsten, iron, and brass) to determine the optimal choice of material for patient and personnel safety, (5) Commence requirements definition process for remote telemedicine, and (6) Initial work on setting up a Web-based system to enroll patients into proton therapy clinical trials.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from 3rd Party sellers are not guaranteed by the Publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. For more than 30 years, Perez and Brady's Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology has been the must-have standard reference for radiation oncologists and radiation oncology residents who need a comprehensive text covering both the biological and physical science aspects of this complex field as well as disease site-specific information on the integrated, multidisciplinary management of patients with cancer. The book has established itself as the discipline’s "text-of-record," belonging on the shelf of all of those working in the field. The Seventh Edition continues this tradition of excellence with extensive updates throughout, many new chapters, and more than 1,400 full-color illustrations that highlight key concepts in tumor pathogenesis, diagnosis, and targeted radiation therapy.

The Third Edition of Radiation Therapy Physics addresses in concise fashion the fundamental diagnostic radiologic physics principles as well as their clinical implications. Along with coverage of the concepts and applications for the radiation treatment of cancer patients, the authors have included reviews of the most up-to-date instrumentation and critical historical links. The text includes coverage of imaging in therapy planning and surveillance, calibration protocols, and precision radiation therapy, as well as discussion of relevant regulation and compliance activities. It contains an updated and expanded section on computer applications in radiation therapy and electron beam therapy, and features enhanced user-friendliness and visual appeal with a new, easy-to-follow format, including sidebars and a larger trim size. With its user-friendly presentation and broad, comprehensive coverage of radiotherapy physics, this Third Edition doubles as a medical text and handy professional reference.

The fifth edition of this respected book encompasses all the advances and changes that have been made since it was last revised. It not only presents new ideas and information, it shifts its emphases to accurately reflect the inevitably changing perspectives in the field engendered by progress in the understanding of radiological physics. The rapid development of computing technology in the three decades since the publication of the fourth edition has enabled the equally rapid expansion of radiology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine and radiobiology. The understanding of these clinical disciplines is dependent on an appreciation of the underlying physics. The basic radiation physics of relevance to clinical oncology, radiology and nuclear medicine has undergone little change over the last 70 years, so much of the material in the introductory chapters retains the essential flavour of the fourth edition, updated as required. This book is written to help the practitioners in these fields understand the physical science, as well as to serve as a basic tool for physics students who intend working as medical radiation physicists in these clinical fields. It is the authors’ hope that students and practitioners alike will find the fifth edition of The Physics of Radiology lucid and straightforward.