Time Dose And Fractionation In The Radiation Therapy Of Cancer

This book, written by leading international experts, describes alternate fractionation strategies in which technology-driven precise targeting and dosing allow for improved conformance and decreased volumes, with concordant lessening of toxicity, reduction in treatment time, and lower overall health care expense. The aim is to provide the advanced clinician with an up-to-date evidence-based reference that will assist in the delivery of enhanced patient care in daily practice. Traditional multi-week fractionation schedules were established at a time when the inclusion of relatively large amounts of normal tissue was unavoidable owing to the lack of accurate target localization during treatment. Such schedules are time and resource consuming, difficult for patients, and expensive. Nevertheless, acceptance of alternate fractionation strategies has been slow in some countries. The paradigm is, however, changing as evidence accumulates to demonstrate improved local control, equivalence of tolerance, or both. In documenting these alternate strategies, this book will be of value for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and oncologists worldwide.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as an important innovative treatment for various primary and metastatic cancers. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the physical/technological, biological, and clinical aspects of SBRT. It will serve as a detailed resource for this rapidly developing treatment modality. The organ sites covered include lung, liver, spine, pancreas, prostate, adrenal, head and neck, and female reproductive tract. Retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials on SBRT for various organ sites from around the world are examined, and toxicities and normal tissue constraints are discussed. This book features unique insights from world-renowned experts in SBRT from North America, Asia, and Europe. It will be necessary reading for radiation oncologists, radiation oncology residents and fellows, medical physicists, medical physics residents, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and cancer scientists.

Builds on success and reputation of previous editions Draws on the considerable teaching experience of an international author team, most notably the US and European Editors The gold-standard European text for training, adopted by ESTRO as a course book, as a text for the Royal College of Radiologists' radiobiology exam and by courses in the US Highly illustrated with new, 2 colour illustrations Clear and concise style, appropriate for trainees and also practising radiation oncologists requiring a ready reference to the subject Includes new chapters on stem cells, tissue response and the meeting point of meeting point of radiotherapy, radiobiology and physics

This handbook summarizes the data and techniques for hypofractionation and stereotactic radiation in a clinically-accessible way. Hypofractionated radiation therapy, which consists of larger-dose radiation treatments that are given over a shorter time period compared to conventional radiation fraction sizes, is used to treat a variety of cancers, including prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal. Conventional radiation therapy and hypofractionated radiation therapy have different effectiveness rates for cancer treatment and have different impacts on normal tissues in terms of causing toxicity. There is a significant and growing body of literature on the use of different dosing regimens to treat a variety of cancers and radiation oncologists need to keep up with the various dosing schedules, the effect of each regimen on cancer control in different cancers, and how the different schedules affect each organ in terms of toxicity. The book thus provides concise information ranging from commonly-used dose-fractionation schemes for hypofractionated and stereotactic body radiotherapy to simulation and treatment specifications to published safety and efficacy data. Chapters additionally examine the biological rationales for the efficacy of hypofractionated radiation; present clinical studies that demonstrate the efficacy and safety of hypofractionated radiation treatment in a variety of cancers; and describe the advances in technology that have allowed hypofractionated radiation to be safely given. This is an ideal guide for radiation oncology clinicians and trainees.