High-precision radiotherapy

R., Potter, T., Auberger, A., Wambersie., Eds. Hadrons—A challenge for high-precision radiotherapy. Strahlenther. Onkol. 1999,175 (Suppl. II),1-128. 

Dose-Escalated High-Precision Radiotherapy a Method to Overcome Variations in Biology and Radiosensitivity Limiting the Success... 

Wickman, G. and Nystrom, H., The use of liquids in ionization chambers for high precision radiotherapy dosimetry, Phys. Med. Biol, 37,1789,1992. 

The accuracy of radiotherapy dose calculations, based on the attenuation values of the CT scan of the patient, needs to be very high to prevent underexposure of the tumor and overexposure of the healthy tissue. Typically the isodose surfaces are calculated and viewed in 3D in the context of the local anatomy. Increasingly the images made in the linear accellerator with the electronic portal imaging device" (EPID) are used for precise localization of the beam and repeat positioning of the patient. 

Improved results appear to be seen, e.g., in early clinical trials with stereotactic radiotherapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer. These improvements are likely to result from several different developments that influence our ability to stage tumors, to define the target volume, to predict target volume movement during treatment, and to administer highly conformal treatment in a precise manner. 

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