BASI FISICHE DELLA RADIOTERAPIA
General knowledge of atomic and nuclear physics is appreciated.
The remarkable progress in radiation therapy over the last decades has been largely due to the ability to more effectively focus and deliver radiation to the tumour target volume. Physics discoveries and technology improvements have been an important driving force behind this progress
The course aims to give you an understanding of the application of physics to the modern radiotherapy. It is designed to enable you to develop a broad and balanced appreciation of this important area of contemporary medicine and its correlated aspects.
The course starts with a history of the first treatments of cancer with ionizing radiation and with some references to radiation-matter interaction processes. It is then described the production of photon, electron and hadron beams: form X-ray tubes to linear/circular accelerators.
Then the course highlights on:
• methods of measurement and calculation of the dose in a homogeneous and inhomogeneous medium (from Bragg–Gray cavity theory to modern dosimeters)
• analysis of dose distributions with definitions and related parameters
• treatment plans with photon beams in both homogeneous and anthropomorphic phantoms with hints to 3DCRT, IMRT, VMAT, IGRT, ART techniques. Highlights on the most modern delivery systems.
• methods for evaluation and comparison of treatments with particular reference to international protocols (ICRU reports).
• features and radiotherapy procedures with electron beams
• features and radiotherapy procedures with hadron beams (p and C)
• notes on radiobiology applied to radiotherapy with assessing the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, dose-response and dose-time, linear quadratic model and the response and tolerance of healthy tissue to radiation
• notes on Brachytherapy: sources, main methods of calculation of the dose and treatment techniques.
“Khan' s The Physics of Radiation Therapy”
Faiz M. Khan, John P. Gibbons; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins editors.
or
“The Physics of Radiation Therapy”
Faiz M. Khan; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins editors.
Slides of all lessons and some correlated articles will be provided in advance.