This book serves as a practical guide for the use of carbon ions in cancer radiotherapy. On the basis of clinical experience with more than 7,000 patients with various types of tumors treated over a period of nearly 20 years at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, step-by-step procedures and technological development of this modality are highlighted. The book is divided into two sections, the first covering the underlying principles of physics and biology, and the second section is a systematic review by tumor site, concentrating on the role of therapeutic techniques and the pitfalls in treatment planning. Readers will learn of the superior outcomes obtained with carbon-ion therapy for various types of tumors in terms of local control and toxicities. It is essential to understand that the carbon-ion beam is like a two-edged sword: unless it is used properly, it can increase the risk of severe injury to critical organs. In early series of dose-escalation studies, some patients experienced serious adverse effects such as skin ulcers, pneumonitis, intestinal ulcers, and bone necrosis, for which salvage surgery or hospitalization was required. To preclude such detrimental results, the adequacy of therapeutic techniques and dose fractionations was carefully examined in each case. In this way, significant improvements in treatment results have been achieved and major toxicities are no longer observed. With that knowledge, experts in relevant fields expand upon techniques for treatment delivery at each anatomical site, covering indications and optimal treatment planning. With its practical focus, this book will benefit radiation oncologists, medical physicists, medical dosimetrists, radiation therapists, and senior nurses whose work involves radiation therapy, as well as medical oncologists and others who are interested in radiation therapy.

Proton and Carbon Ion Therapy is an up-to-date guide to using proton and carbon ion therapy in modern cancer treatment. The book covers the physics and radiobiology basics of proton and ion beams, dosimetry methods and radiation measurements, and treatment delivery systems. It gives practical guidance on patient setup, target localization, and treatment planning for clinical proton and carbon ion therapy. The text also offers detailed reports on the treatment of pediatric cancers, lymphomas, and various other cancers. After an overview, the book focuses on the fundamental aspects of proton and carbon ion therapy equipment, including accelerators, gantries, and delivery systems. It then discusses dosimetry, biology, imaging, and treatment planning basics and provides clinical guidelines on the use of proton and carbon ion therapy for the treatment of specific cancers. Suitable for anyone involved with medical physics and radiation therapy, this book offers a balanced and critical assessment of state-of-the-art technologies, major challenges, and the future outlook of proton and carbon ion therapy. It presents a thorough introduction for those new to the field while providing a helpful, up-to-date reference for readers already using the therapy in clinical settings.

The book provides a detailed, up-to-date account of the basics, the technology, and the clinical use of ion beams for radiation therapy. Theoretical background, technical components, and patient treatment schemes are delineated by the leading experts that helped to develop this field from a research niche to its current highly sophisticated and powerful clinical treatment level used to the benefit of cancer patients worldwide. Rather than being a side-by-side collection of articles, this book consists of related chapters. It is a common achievement by 76 experts from around the world. Their expertise reflects the diversity of the field with radiation therapy, medical and accelerator physics, radiobiology, computer science, engineering, and health economics. The book addresses a similarly broad audience ranging from professionals that need to know more about this novel treatment modality or consider to enter the field of ion beam therapy as a researcher. However, it is also written for the interested public and for patients who might want to learn about this treatment option.

This book, now in its second edition, provides a comprehensive overview of current re-irradiation strategies, with detailed discussion of re-irradiation methods, technical aspects, the role of combined therapy with anticancer drugs and hyperthermia, and normal tissue tolerance. In addition, disease specific chapters document recent clinical results and future research directions. All chapters from the first edition have been revised and updated to take account of the latest developments and research findings, including those from prospective studies. Due attention is paid to the exciting developments in the fields of proton irradiation and frameless image-guided ablative radiotherapy. The book documents fully how refined combined modality approaches and significant technical advances in radiation treatment planning and delivery have facilitated the re-irradiation of previously exposed volumes, allowing both palliative and curative approaches to be pursued at various disease sites. Professionals involved in radiation treatment planning and multimodal oncology treatment will find it to be an invaluable aid in understanding the benefits and limitations of re-irradiation and in designing prospective trials.

This book presents a comparison analysis of two cancer treatment therapies: carbon ion therapy and protontherapy. It is divided in 5 sections. The first ones gives the reader a brief history of Radiotherapy and types of radiation. In the second section, the techniques and equipments, including new ones in development such as Cyclinac , Laser and DWA, are described. The third section describes biophysical (such as stopping power and LET) and biological (such as RBE and OER) properties, the fundamental experiments and clinical area. The fourth section presents models and the fifth section compares both techniques, showing advantages and disadvantages of each, and their similarities.

In recent years, interest in the management of anterior skull base tumors has been fostered by the introduction and subsequent rapid expansion of indications of transnasal endoscopic techniques. In parallel, extraordinary progress has been made in all the other disciplines which are involved in the complex process of managing anterior skull base tumors, leading to substantial improvements in diagnosis and treatment. The anterior skull base can be involved in a large variety of tumors of a varying nature and histology, which in the majority of cases originate from adjacent anatomic sites. In fact, primary lesions of the anterior skull base mainly include osteoma and other tumors originating from bone and cartilage. Tumors involving the anterior skull base have their origin prevalently in the sinonasal tract, but lesions developing on the intracranial site, such as meningiomas, may also extend caudally to encroach upon this area. All these lesions are rare, which means that the pertinent literature does not include prospective studies or treatment guidelines based on a high level of evidence. In view of the extreme histological variability of lesions involving the anterior skull base, much emphasis has been placed on addressing the different nuances of treatment in relation to histology, especially for malignant tumors. The chapters focusing on surgery provide divergent views on selection criteria for a specific surgical technique, which is the aim of this publication.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), one of the most important developments in radiation oncology in the past 25 years, involves technology to deliver radiation to tumors in the right location, quantity and time. Unavoidable irradiation of surrounding normal tissues is distributed so as to preserve their function. The achievements and future directions in the field are grouped in the three sections of the book, each suitable for supporting a teaching course. Part 1 contains topical reviews of the basic principles of IMRT, part 2 describes advanced techniques such as image-guided and biologically based approaches, and part 3 focuses on investigation of IMRT to improve outcome at various cancer sites.

This handbook is designed to enable radiation oncologists to treat patients appropriately and confidently by means of particle therapy. The orientation and purpose are entirely practical, in that the focus is on the physics essentials of delivery and treatment planning , illustration of the clinical target volume (CTV) and associated treatment planning for each major malignancy when using particle therapy, proton therapy in particular. Disease-specific chapters provide guidelines and concise knowledge on CTV selection and delineation and identify aspects that require the exercise of caution during treatment planning. The treatment planning techniques unique to proton therapy for each disease site are clearly described, covering beam orientation, matching/patching field techniques, robustness planning, robustness plan evaluation, etc. The published data on the use of particle therapy for a given disease site are also concisely reported. In addition to fully meeting the needs of radiation oncologists, this "know why" and “know how” guide to particle therapy will be valuable for medical physicists, dosimetrists, and radiation therapists.

Cancer treatment is complex and calls for a diverse set of services. Radiation therapy is recognized as an essential tool in the cure and palliation of cancer. Currently, access to radiation treatment is limited in many countries and non-existent in some. This lack of radiation therapy resources exacerbates the burden of disease and underscores the continuing health care disparity among States. Closing this gap represents an essential measure in addressing this global health equity problem. This publication presents a comprehensive overview of the major topics and issues to be taken into consideration when planning a strategy to address this problem, in particular in low and middle income countries. With contributions from leaders in the field, it provides an introduction to the achievements and issues of radiation therapy as a cancer treatment modality around the world. Dedicated chapters focus on the new radiotherapy technologies, proton beams, carbon ion, intraoperative radiotherapy, radiotherapy for children, treatment of HIV-AIDS malignancies, and costing and quality management issues.