Now in its second edition, Comprehensive Brachytherapy: Physical and Clinical Aspect presents a fully updated, detailed, and comprehensive account of the underlying physics and practice of modern brachytherapy, including the design and implementation of new technologies and techniques.
Combining research and application, this foundational text provides insight into the technological and biological basis, as well as quality assurance and advanced methods. It explores clinical protocols and discusses major advances in imaging, robotics, dosimetry, Monte Carlo-based dose calculation, and optimization. Alongside practical guidance for practitioners, this second edition includes brand new chapters on clinical uses, including skin brachytherapy and brachytherapy for head and neck cancers.
Key Features:
• Provides comprehensive coverage of modern brachytherapy physics.
• Discusses major technical advances in brachytherapy and provides guidance on quality assurance methods.
• Contains new chapters dedicated to specific clinical applications.
This easily digestible book is a core text for brachytherapy courses and will be of use and relevance to students studying both medical physics and radiation oncology. Surgical oncology specialists will also find this book of interest.
Table of Contents:
Section I: Introduction, 1. Introduction and innovations in brachytherapy, 2. Standard Technology in Brachytherapy, 3. Radionuclides in Brachytherapy: Current and Potential New Sources, 4. Quality Assurance of Equipment, Section II: Brachytherapy Dosimetry, 5. Source Calibration, 6. Experimental Dosimetry Methods, 7. Computational Methods for Dosimetric Characterization of Brachytherapy Sources, Section III Brachytherapy Treatment Planning and Imaging, 8. Historical Development of Predictive Dosimetry “Systems”, 9. TG-43 Dose Calculation Formalism: Development, Insights, and Modernization, 10. On the Introduction of Model-based Algorithms Performing Scatter and Non-Water Heterogeneity Corrections into Brachytherapy Treatment Planning, 11. Optimization and Evaluation, 12. Quality Management of Treatment Planning, 13. Practical use, limitations, and quality control of imaging in Brachytherapy, Section IV: Uncertainties in Clinical Brachytherapy, 14. Uncertainties Associated with Brachytherapy Source Calibrations and Dose Calculations, 15. Uncertainties associated with clinical aspects of brachytherapy, Section V: Clinical Brachytherapy, 16. Clinical use of brachytherapy, 17. Radiobiology for Brachytherapy, 18. Brachytherapy for Prostate Cancer, 19. Gynaecologic Brachytherapy, 20. Brachytherapy for the treatment of breast cancer, 21. Skin brachytherapy including keloids and pterygium, 22. Brachytherapy for Head and Neck Cancers and Uveal Melanoma, 23. Oesophagus, liver and anorectal brachytherapy/ Liver Brachytherapy/Rectal and Anal Cancers, Section VI: Advance Methods and Technologies, 24. In Vivo Dosimetry in Brachytherapy, 25. Electromagnetic tracking, 26. Special Brachytherapy Modalities, 27. Advanced Brachytherapy Technologies: Encapsulation, Ultrasound, and Robotics, Section VII: Radiation Protection and Quality Management in Brachytherapy, 28. Radiation Protection in Brachytherapy, 29. Quality Management in Brachytherapy, 30. Quality Audits in Brachytherapy, 31. Expert Training in Brachytherapy
About the Author :
Professor. Peter J. Hoskin trained in clinical oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital London and has been consultant in clinical oncology at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Northwood UK since 1992. He is also Professor in Clinical Oncology in the University of Manchester and Honorary Professor in Clinical Oncology at University College London.
Professor. Dr. Dimos Baltas is Professor for Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology and Head of Division of Medical Physics, Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site DKTK-Freiburg, Germany.
Professor. Ali S. Meigooni is a Professor of Medical Physics and Director of Brachytherapy Section in the Department of Radiation Medicine at University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, in Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Dr. Christian Kirisits is an Associate Professor and leading the Medical Physics brachytherapy program at the Department of Radiation Oncology of the Medical University of Vienna/General Hospital of Vienna.
