This exciting new book equips radiography students and practitioners with the key skills and strategies required to undertake research within medical imaging and radiotherapy and to disseminate the research findings effectively. Quantitative and qualitative research methods are covered, with guidance provided on the entire research process, from literature researching, information management and literature evaluation through to data collection, data analysis, and writing up. Attention is drawn to sampling errors and other potential sources of bias, and the conduct of randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are clearly explained. Specific instruction is given on the structure and presentation of dissertations, writing journal articles for publication, and the dissemination of research findings at conferences. Information on patient and public involvement in research and research funding bodies are also provided with advice on how to maximize the likelihood of success when submitting applications for funding.

The purpose and subject of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of all types of phantoms used in medical imaging, therapy, nuclear medicine and health physics. For ionizing radiation, dosimetry with respect to issues of material composition, shape, and motion/position effects are all highlighted. For medical imaging, each type of technology will need specific materials and designs, and the physics and indications will be explored for each type. Health physics phantoms are concerned with some of the same issues such as material heterogeneity, but also unique issues such as organ-specific radiation dose from sources distributed in other organs. Readers will be able to use this book to select the appropriate phantom from a vendor at a clinic, to learn from as a student, to choose materials for custom phantom design, to design dynamic features, and as a reference for a variety of applications. Some of the information enclosed is found in other sources, divided especially along the three categories of imaging, therapy, and health physics. To our knowledge, even though professionally, many medical physicists need to bridge the three catagories described above.

This book provides, for the first time, a unified approach to the application of MRI in radiotherapy that incorporates both a physics and a clinical perspective. Readers will find detailed information and guidance on the role of MRI in all aspects of treatment, from dose planning, with or without CT, through to response assessment. Extensive coverage is devoted to the latest technological developments and emerging options. These include hybrid MRI treatment systems, such as MRI-Linac and proton-guided systems, which are ushering in an era of real-time MRI guidance. The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented rise in the use of MRI in the radiation treatment of cancer. The development of highly conformal dose delivery techniques has led to a growing need to harness advanced imaging for patient treatment. With its flexible soft tissue contrast and ability to acquire functional information, MRI offers advantages at all stages of treatment. In documenting the state of the art in the field, this book will be of value to a wide range of professionals. The authors are international experts drawn from the scientific committee of the 2017 MR in RT symposium and the faculty of the ESTRO teaching course on imaging for physicists.

This book, edited by leading experts in radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology, offers a wide-ranging, state of the art overview of the specifics and the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to the use of imaging in image-guided radiation treatments for different tumor types. The entire spectrum of the most important cancers treated by radiation are covered, including CNS, head and neck, lung, breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and gynecological tumors. The opening sections of the book address background issues and a range of important technical aspects. Detailed information is then provided on the use of different imaging techniques for T staging and target volume delineation, response assessment, and follow-up in various parts of the body. The focus of the book ensures that it will be of interest for a multidisciplinary forum of readers comprising radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists and other medical professionals.

Radiomics and Radiogenomics: Technical Basis and Clinical Applications provides a first summary of the overlapping fields of radiomics and radiogenomics, showcasing how they are being used to evaluate disease characteristics and correlate with treatment response and patient prognosis. It explains the fundamental principles, technical bases, and clinical applications with a focus on oncology. The book’s expert authors present computational approaches for extracting imaging features that help to detect and characterize disease tissues for improving diagnosis, prognosis, and evaluation of therapy response. This book is intended for audiences including imaging scientists, medical physicists, as well as medical professionals and specialists such as diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists. Features Provides a first complete overview of the technical underpinnings and clinical applications of radiomics and radiogenomics Shows how they are improving diagnostic and prognostic decisions with greater efficacy Discusses the image informatics, quantitative imaging, feature extraction, predictive modeling, software tools, and other key areas Covers applications in oncology and beyond, covering all major disease sites in separate chapters Includes an introduction to basic principles and discussion of emerging research directions with a roadmap to clinical translation

Radiation Oncology: An Evidence-Based Approach (ROEBA) is a reference book designed to enable radiation oncologists, including those in training, to make diagnostic and treatment decisions on the basis of the best available scientific evidence. Ease of use is ensured by a structured, reader-friendly format that offers rapid access to evidence-based recommendations. ROEBA’s orientation is entirely practical, in that the focus is solely on diagnostic/staging and treatment issues. Detailed diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines are provided for multidisciplinary cancer management as well as radiation therapy techniques. The evidence underlying each recommendation is clearly and concisely explained, and the strength of the recommendations and evidence is systemically graded. Furthermore, diagnostic and treatment algorithms are provided for the commonly diagnosed cancers. This ground-breaking text on radiation oncology is an essential tool for physicians in their daily clinical practice.

Big Data in Radiation Oncology gives readers an in-depth look into how big data is having an impact on the clinical care of cancer patients. While basic principles and key analytical and processing techniques are introduced in the early chapters, the rest of the book turns to clinical applications, in particular for cancer registries, informatics, radiomics, radiogenomics, patient safety and quality of care, patient-reported outcomes, comparative effectiveness, treatment planning, and clinical decision-making. More features of the book are: Offers the first focused treatment of the role of big data in the clinic and its impact on radiation therapy. Covers applications in cancer registry, radiomics, patient safety, quality of care, treatment planning, decision making, and other key areas. Discusses the fundamental principles and techniques for processing and analysis of big data. Address the use of big data in cancer prevention, detection, prognosis, and management. Provides practical guidance on implementation for clinicians and other stakeholders. Dr. Jun Deng is a professor at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology of Yale University School of Medicine and an ABR board certified medical physicist at Yale-New Haven Hospital. He has received numerous honors and awards such as Fellow of Institute of Physics in 2004, AAPM Medical Physics Travel Grant in 2008, ASTRO IGRT Symposium Travel Grant in 2009, AAPM-IPEM Medical Physics Travel Grant in 2011, and Fellow of AAPM in 2013. Lei Xing, Ph.D., is the Jacob Haimson Professor of Medical Physics and Director of Medical Physics Division of Radiation Oncology Department at Stanford University. His research has been focused on inverse treatment planning, tomographic image reconstruction, CT, optical and PET imaging instrumentations, image guided interventions, nanomedicine, and applications of molecular imaging in radiation oncology. Dr. Xing is on the editorial boards of a number of journals in radiation physics and medical imaging, and is recipient of numerous awards, including the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award, The Whitaker Foundation Grant Award, and a Max Planck Institute Fellowship.