ABSTRACT

The treatment of a patient with radiation therapy is planned to find the optimal way to treat a tumour while minimizing the dose received by the surrounding normal tissues. In order to better exploit the possibilities of this process, the availability of accurate and quantitative knowledge of the peculiar responses of the different tissues is of paramount importance.

This book provides an invaluable tutorial for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and dosimetrists involved in the planning optimization phase of treatment. It presents a practical, accessible, and comprehensive summary of the field’s current research and knowledge regarding the response of normal tissues to radiation. This is the first comprehensive attempt to do so since the publication of the QUANTEC guidelines in 2010.

Features:

  • Addresses the lack of systemization in the field, providing educational materials on predictive models, including methods, tools, and the evaluation of uncertainties
  • Collects the combined effects of features, other than dose, in predicting the risk of toxicity in radiation therapy
  • Edited by two leading experts in the field

chapter 4|38 pages

Pelvis

Rectal and Bowel Toxicity

chapter 5|24 pages

Pelvis

Urinary Toxicity

chapter 8|7 pages

Head and Neck

Parotids

chapter 9|27 pages

Head and Neck

Larynx and Structures Involved in Swallowing/Nutritional Problems and Dysphonia

chapter 10|25 pages

Thorax

Lungs and Esophagus

chapter 14|27 pages

Predicting Toxicity in External Radiotherapy

A Critical Summary

chapter 15|35 pages

Data Sharing and Toxicity Modelling

A Vision of the Near Future

chapter 17|26 pages

Beyond DVH

2D/3D-Based Dose Comparison to Assess Predictors of Toxicity