The main objective of this book is to provide radiation oncologists with a clear, up-to-date guide to tumor delineation and contouring of organs at risk. With this in mind, a detailed overview of recent advances in imaging for radiation treatment planning is presented. Novel concepts for target volume delineation are explained, taking into account the innovations in imaging technology. Special attention is paid to the role of the newer imaging modalities, such as positron emission tomography and diffusion and perfusion magnetic resonance imaging. All of the most important tumor entities treated with radiation therapy are covered in the book. Each chapter is devoted to a particular tumor type and has been written by a recognized expert in that topic.

- Summarizes the state of the art in the most relevant areas of medical physics and engineering applied to radiation oncology - Covers all relevant areas of the subject in detail, including 3D imaging and image processing, 3D treatment planning, modern treatment techniques, patient positioning, and aspects of verification and quality assurance - Conveys information in a readily understandable way that will appeal to professionals and students with a medical background as well as to newcomers to radiation oncology from the field of physics

Conformal radiation therapy represents a new challenge. It offers the prospect of either increasing the radiation dose to target tissues while delivering a similar dose to organs at risk, or reducing the dose to organs at risk while maintaining the dose to target tissues. First, lymph node areas at risk are established using the available data from pathological examination. Then, based on a three-dimensional description of the anatomical regions, guidelines for the delineation of the clinical target volumes are proposed. The data presented should enable the reader to make appropriate decisions regarding the selection and delineation of the target volumes when confronted with the most frequent tumor types and sites.

This book will facilitate the understanding of cross-sectional anatomy details and assist radiation oncologists in the difficult task of a detailed delineation of lymph node targets in multiple anatomical locations.

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.

This textbook is designed to help the busy radiation oncologist to accurately and confidently delineate tumor volumes for conformal radiation therapy (including IMRT). The book provides an atlas of clinical target volumes (CTVs) for commonly encountered cancers, with each chapter illustrating CTV delineation on a slice-by-slice basis, on planning CT images. Common anatomic variants for each tumor are represented in individual illustrations, with annotations highlighting differences in coverage. The anatomy of each site and patterns of lymphatic drainage are discussed, and their influence on the design of CTVs is explained in detail. Utilization of other imaging modalities, including MRI, to delineate volumes is highlighted. Key details of simulation and planning are briefly reviewed. Although the emphasis is on target volume delineation for conformal techniques, information is also provided on conventional radiation field setup and design when IMRT is not suitable.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is being rapidly introduced into the clinical management of early breast cancer. APBI, in fact, encompasses a number of different techniques and approaches that include brachytherapy, intraoperative, and external beam techniques. There is currently no single source that describes these techniques and their clinical implementation. This text is a concise handbook designed to assist the clinician in the implementation of APBI. This includes a review of the principles that underlie APBI, a practical and detailed description of each technique for APBI, a review of current clinical results of APBI, and a review of the incidence and management of treatment related complications.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as an important innovative treatment for various primary and metastatic cancers. This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the physical/technological, biological, and clinical aspects of SBRT. It will serve as a detailed resource for this rapidly developing treatment modality. The organ sites covered include lung, liver, spine, pancreas, prostate, adrenal, head and neck, and female reproductive tract. Retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials on SBRT for various organ sites from around the world are examined, and toxicities and normal tissue constraints are discussed. This book features unique insights from world-renowned experts in SBRT from North America, Asia, and Europe. It will be necessary reading for radiation oncologists, radiation oncology residents and fellows, medical physicists, medical physics residents, medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, and cancer scientists.

This book, edited by leading experts in radiology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology, offers a wide-ranging, state of the art overview of the specifics and the benefits of a multidisciplinary approach to the use of imaging in image-guided radiation treatments for different tumor types. The entire spectrum of the most important cancers treated by radiation are covered, including CNS, head and neck, lung, breast, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and gynecological tumors. The opening sections of the book address background issues and a range of important technical aspects. Detailed information is then provided on the use of different imaging techniques for T staging and target volume delineation, response assessment, and follow-up in various parts of the body. The focus of the book ensures that it will be of interest for a multidisciplinary forum of readers comprising radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, radiologists and other medical professionals.

Defining organs at risk is a crucial task for radiation oncologists when aiming to optimize the benefit of radiation therapy, with delivery of the maximum dose to the tumor volume while sparing healthy tissues. This book will prove an invaluable guide to the delineation of organs at risk of toxicity in patients undergoing radiotherapy. The first and second sections address the anatomy of organs at risk, discuss the pathophysiology of radiation-induced damage, and present dose constraints and methods for target volume delineation. The third section is devoted to the radiological anatomy of organs at risk as seen on typical radiotherapy planning CT scans, with a view to assisting the radiation oncologist to recognize and delineate these organs for each anatomical region – head and neck, mediastinum, abdomen, and pelvis. The book is intended both for young radiation oncologists still in training and for their senior colleagues wishing to reduce intra-institutional variations in practice and thereby to standardize the definition of clinical target volumes. ​