Clinical Dosimetry

Radiobiology and Radiation Physics

Theoretical

The preferred method is the expository method, taking into account the learning of facts and concepts. The Case Study is also applied during the classes, whenever practical cases are used to demonstrate planning concepts and rules.

Theoretical-practice

The case study is privileged, since the students will work on specific cases of patients with real pathologies.

The student must acquire:
• knowledge of dose calculation algorithms, volume definition, planning techniques, radiobiology for radiotherapy,
evaluation methods of a treatment plan, radiation beam features
• skills to identify the best radiotherapy technique for a given site, to indicate the most appropriate dose calculation
algorithm, to apply organs at risk tolerance tables, to evaluate a treatment plan considering target volume and
organs at risk doses
• competences to execute a simple treatment plan, to use the planning system tools for the delineation of organs at
risk, to identify and apply the different available beam modifiers

Theoretical

1. Concepts in dosimetry
1. RT prescription
2. Radiobiological concepts: fractionation, dose rate
3. Tissue tolerance
2. Definition of Volumes
1. Target volumes
2. Organs at risk: organ functionality (serial and / or parallel)
3. ICRU 50 and 62
3. Dose calculation algorithms
1. Pencil Beam
2. Convolution
3. Monte Carlo
4. Errors in dose calculation algorithms
4. Dosimetric planning
1. Beams: photons and electrons, percentage depth dose, output factors
2. Modalities: uniform medium, isodose curves, conformal, non-coplanar, field joints, arc therapy, inverse planning
3. Beam modifiers: Pbs, MLCs, compensators, wedges, bolus
4. Plan normalization
5. Plan evaluation
1. isodose curves
2. dove volume histogram

Theoretical-practical

Implementation and analysis of different typical treatment plans and related techniques in different pathologies in the planning system available.

Pathologies studied: breast, rectum, central nervous system, stomach, etc.

Techniques studied: 3DCRT, IMRT and VMAT

NAO

Primary bibliography

     N/A

Secondary bibliography

• Khan, FM (2010). The Physics of Radiation Therapy. 4th Ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report 50, 60 e 62.
• Barret, A et al. (2009). Practical Radiotherapy Planning. 4th Ed., Hodder Arnold.
• Khan, FM (2007). Treatment Planning in Radiation Oncology. 2nd Ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Perez, CA and Brady, LW (2013), Principles and practice of radiation oncology, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.