Introduction Through 2017, almost 200,000 patients received radiation therapy using charged particle beams. The majority, over 170,000, of these have been treated with proton therapy. The remainder has primarily been treated with carbon ion beams. Experience continues to grow worldwide…
The field of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is now over 60 years old. The intervening decades have seen numerous technical developments, facilitating clinical success in numerous disease sites throughout the brain and body. Yet the fundamental principles remain largely unchanged: the…
Radiation oncology is a physical medical modality by which radiative energy, in the form of ionizing radiation, is delivered to a target volume to effect palliation or cure. An understanding of the particles and processes involved in imparting radiation energy…
Introduction Since the last edition of this seminal textbook, technological advances in “targeted” radiation therapy continue to improve our ability to deliver fractionated and at times ablative radiation doses even more accurately. Although these technical advancements have improved the radiation…
Oncology has increasingly become a multidisciplinary field: (1) surgery remains the definitive local treatment modality; (2) chemotherapy remains the definitive systemic treatment modality; and (3) radiation therapy is the definitive locoregional treatment modality. Although, historically, these approaches have predominantly been…
When cancer patients undergo radiation therapy, there is a clear dose-response relationship between the dose delivered and the response of the tumor to the radiation. This is illustrated in Fig. 3.1 . There is also an increase in normal tissue…
The “hallmarks of cancer” were described by Hanahan and Weinberg in 2000 and detail the features required for a tumor to progress to an invasive malignancy. The “next generation” hallmarks, published in 2011, include sustaining proliferative signaling, evading growth suppressors,…
What Is Radiation Biology? In the most general sense, radiation biology is the study of the effects of electromagnetic radiation on biological systems. Three aspects of this definition deserve special mention. First, effects may include everything from DNA damage to…
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Introduction and Scope of the Problem Individual and organizational investment in clinician well-being is required to sustain the careers of those providing care to the seriously ill. Among U.S. health care professionals in general, burnout is experienced by an estimated…