ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with comments about the original and current clinical rationale for proton therapy. It covers the basic physics of protons slowing down in matter independent of their medical use. The book presents equations that can be used for estimating many characteristics of proton beams for daily use. It describes the physics of proton accelerators, including currently used techniques as well as a brief discussion of new developments. The book describes the characteristics of such machines for proton therapy. It outlines the characteristics of clinical proton beams and how clinical parameters are connected to the design features and the operational settings of the beam delivery system. The book describes in detail how to generate a conformal dose distribution in the patient. It outlines all aspects of acceptance testing and commissioning, including treatment planning commissioning.
