Read an exclusive interview with Dr. Jerry Battista here. A critical element of radiation treatment planning for cancer is the accurate prediction and delivery of a tailored radiation dose distribution inside the patient. Megavoltage x-ray beams are aimed at the tumour, while collateral damage to nearby healthy tissue and organs is minimized. The key to optimal treatment therefore lies in adopting a trustworthy three-dimensional (3D) dose computation algorithm, which simulates the passage of both primary and secondary radiation throughout the exposed tissue. Edited by an award-winning university educator and pioneer in the field of voxel-based radiation dose computation, this book explores the physics and mathematics that underlie algorithms encountered in contemporary radiation oncology. It is an invaluable reference for clinical physicists who commission, develop, or test treatment planning software. This book also covers a core topic in the syllabus for educating graduate students and residents entering the field of clinical physics. This book starts with a historical perspective gradually building up to the three most important algorithms used for today’s clinical applications. These algorithms can solve the same general radiation transport problem from three vantages: firstly, applying convolution-superposition principles (i.e. Green’s method); secondly, the stochastic simulation of radiation particle interactions with tissue atoms (i.e. the Monte Carlo method); and thirdly, the deterministic solution of the fundamental equations for radiation fields of x-rays and their secondary particles (i.e. the Boltzmann method). It contains clear, original illustrations of key concepts and quantities thoughout, supplemented by metaphors and analogies to facilitate comprehension and retention of knowledge. Features: Edited by an authority in the field, enhanced with chapter contributions from physicists with clinical experience in the fields of computational dosimetry and dose optimization Contains examples of test phantom results and clinical cases, illustrating pitfalls to avoid in clinical applications to radiation oncology Introduces four-dimensional (4D) dose computation, on-line dose reconstruction, and dose accumulation that accounts for tissue displacements and motion throughout a course of radiation therapy

This book explores the physics and mathematics that underlie the dose computation algorithms used in modern radiation oncology. It is an invaluable reference for clinical practitioners and researchers who wish to utilise the software, in addition to graduate students and residents.

From the essential background physics and radiobiology to the latest imaging and treatment modalities, the updated second edition of Handbook of Radiotherapy Physics: Theory & Practice covers all aspects of the subject. In Volume 1, 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 are 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 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 Master’s students.

With contributions from leading international researchers, this second edition of Electrical Impedance Tomography: Methods, History and Applications has been fully updated throughout and contains new developments in the field, including sections on image interpretation and image reconstruction. Providing a thorough review of the progress of EIT, the present state of knowledge, and a look at future advances and applications, this accessible reference will be invaluable for mathematicians, physicists dealing with bioimpedance, electronic engineers involved in developing and extending its applications, and clinicians wishing to take advantage of this powerful imaging method. Key Features: Fully updated throughout, with new sections on image interpretation and image reconstruction Overview of the current state of experimental and clinical use of EIT as well as active research developments Overview of related research in geophysics, industrial process tomography, magnetic-resonance and magnetic-induction impedance imaging

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to current state-of-the-art auto-segmentation approaches used in radiation oncology for auto-delineation of organs-of-risk for thoracic radiation treatment planning. Containing the latest, cutting edge technologies and treatments, it explores deep-learning methods, multi-atlas-based methods, and model-based methods that are currently being developed for clinical radiation oncology applications. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of algorithm choices and discusses the impact of the different algorithm modules to the algorithm performance as well as the implementation issues for clinical use (including data curation challenges and auto-contour evaluations). This book is an ideal guide for radiation oncology centers looking to learn more about potential auto-segmentation tools for their clinic in addition to medical physicists commissioning auto-segmentation for clinical use. Features: Up-to-date with the latest technologies in the field Edited by leading authorities in the area, with chapter contributions from subject area specialists All approaches presented in this book are validated using a standard benchmark dataset established by the Thoracic Auto-segmentation Challenge held as an event of the 2017 Annual Meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Computers have had and will continue to have a tremendous impact on professional activity in almost all areas. This applies to radiological medicine and in particular to radiation therapy. This book compiles the most recent developments and results of the application of computers and computer science as presented at the XIIIth International Conference on the Use of Computers in Radiation Therapy in Heidelberg, Germany. The text of both oral presentations and posters is included. The book is intended for computer sientists, medical physicists, engineers and physicians in the field of radiation therapy and provides a comprehensive survey of the entire field.

Pathobiology of Human Disease bridges traditional morphologic and clinical pathology, molecular pathology, and the underlying basic science fields of cell biology, genetics, and molecular biology, which have opened up a new era of research in pathology and underlie the molecular basis of human disease. The work spans more than 48 different biological and medical fields, in five basic sections: Human - Organ Systems - Molecular Pathology/Basic Mechanisms of Diseases - Animal Models/Other Model Systems - Experimental Pathology - Clinical Pathology Each article provides a comprehensive overview of the selected topic to inform a broad spectrum of readers from research professionals to advanced undergraduate students. - Reviews quantitative advances in the imaging and molecular analysis of human tissue, new microarray technologies for analysis of genetic and chromosomal alterations in normal and diseased cells and tissues, and new transgenic models of human disease using conditional, tissue-specific gene targeting - Articles link through to relevant virtual microscopy slides, illustrating side-by-side presentation of "Normal" and "Disease" anatomy and histology images - Fully-annotated with many supplementary full color images, graphs, tables, and video files linked to data sets and to live references, enabling researchers to delve deeper and visualize solutions