See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/260457189

The Modern Technology of Radiation Oncology: A Compendium for Medical

Physicists and Radiation Oncologists

Article  in  Medical Physics · March 2000

DOI: 10.1118/1.598908

CITATIONS READS

97 2,065

2 authors, including:

Jacob (Jake) Van Dyk

The University of Western Ontario
243 PUBLICATIONS   8,787 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Global Oncology View project

Treatment Planning QA View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Jacob (Jake) Van Dyk on 05 July 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS
All interested medical physicists are encouraged to have their names added to a list of available reviewers. Please rank your
interest among radiation therapy, x-ray imaging, nuclear medicine imaging, ultrasound imaging, MR imaging, radiation
injury, radiation protection, and others. Make your interest known to David S. Gooden, Ph.D., J.D., Books Editor
(dsgooden@saintfrancis.com). Include your name and e-mail address in the body of the response.
Book Reviews
A Practical Guide to 3-D Planning and
Conformal Radiation Therapy. James A.
Purdy and George Starkschall, editors. 369
pp. Advanced Medical Publishing, Madi-
son, Wisconsin. Price: $160.00 ~hard
cover!.
This compact twenty-chapter volume
represents a compilation of the state-of-
the-art 3-D planning and conformal radia-
tion therapy related technology. It is an at-
tempt to summarize the expertise and
experiences of 32 professionals involved
in the development and implementation of
this technology. It truly represents a multi-
disciplinary and multimodality expertise of
radiation oncologists, medical physicists,
computer programmers, radiation thera-
pists, radiation dosimetrists, and engineers.
Most of the authors are nationally and in-
ternationally known and respected for their
scientific and clinical experience. The ma-
terial covered by the authors is very com-
prehensive. They have covered the basics
of new terminology as well as the details
of important procedures. The publication
has a mix of black and white as well as
color graphics to assure explicit display of
all the fine features of 3-D treatment plan-
ning. Extensive use of procedural recipes,
tabulated data, and line drawings has en-
riched the presentation to make it an excel-
lent reference book.
The first two chapters give a clear ex-
planation of differences between 2-D and
3-D treatment planning. The second chap-
ter focuses primarily on ICRU 50 termi-
nology as it relates to 3-D treatment pre-
scription, planning, and delivery. Chapters
3 and 4 describe the CT-Simulation/3-D
treatment planning concepts and processes.
An excellent site specific step by step, CT/
simulation protocols are detailed in these
chapters. These are very beneficial for all
personnel in the field.
Some of the basics 3-D RTP plan
evaluation strategies are described in
Chapters 5 and 11. The authors introduce
the concept of dose volume histograms
~DVH! and their capability to summarize
3-D dose distributions in an easily inter-
pretable form. The reader also learns how
DVHs can be combined with TCP and
NTCP predictions for the design of future
dose escalation studies and ultimately the
optimization of 3-D RTP using both physi-
cal and biological end points and con-
straints.
A concise summary of radiation dose
computation models is given in Chapter 6.
626 Med. Phys. 27 „3…, March 2000
Different types of model specifics of some
of the earlier models such as Bentley–
Milan and scatter summation algorithms
are discussed. This chapter also describes
the Monte Carlo as well as convolution
kernel based algorithms used in some of
the advanced 3-D treatment planning sys-
tems.
Chapters 7, 8, 11, and 17 give very de-
tailed, step by step procedures for CT-
simulators, 3-D RTP systems, IMRT with
the Peacock system and the 3-D CRT QA
programs, respectively. The authors em-
phasize the important elements, describe
specific recipes and tools to utilize, and
also provide the necessary evaluation cri-
teria. This is an essential and very impor-
tant area of the field and has been well
emphasized for the reader so that the ben-
efits of 3-D radiation therapy can be fully
realized.
Availability of 3-D imaging has made
virtual simulation feasible. It must how-
ever be coupled with patient immobiliza-
tion. These topics are covered in Chapter
9.
Specific tools for intensity modulated
treatments dosimetry, MLC, dynamic
wedge pair the Peacock system are dis-
cussed in Chapters 10, 12, and 13. These
chapters not only introduce the readers to
the process of IMRT but great attention is
given to practical issues, time and effort
required to implement a high quality based
3-D IMRT.
The electronic communication between
subsystems, such as CT scanner, treatment
planning system, portal imager, treatment
units is discussed in Chapter 14. The im-
portance of robust and distortion free
transfer of information, the tools used, and
process utilized in a network are intro-
duced.
Electronic portal imaging, a very useful
tool for port verification, and its imple-
mentation in the clinic is discussed in
Chapter 15.
Chapters 18 and 19 review the techni-
cal requirements for a 3-D-CRT multiinsti-
tutional clinical trial and the resources
needed to support a 3-D radiation therapy
treatment planning, respectively. This
again is very useful information. In par-
ticular institutions or personnel implement-
ing 3-D or interested in participation in
clinical 3-D trials can get a realistic per-
spective of time, expertise, and cost in-
volved in implementing the above capa-
bilities in their institution.
Finally, Chapter 20 summarizes and
ties everything together and provides the
vision of the future. It is a great perspec-
tive from an experienced, highly respected
individual in the field.
This compilation provides an extremely
practical and useful perspective on the new
technological advances brought about by
3-D planning and conformal radiation
therapy. It emphasizes the integration of
3-D imaging technology with 3-D dose
computing capabilities and the delivery of
computer controlled conformal therapy.
The authors are very cognizant that
they are attempting to formulate definitive
procedures that are likely to evolve further
as all of the subsystems reach maturity.
Nevertheless, all of us involved in the rou-
tine practice and not having access to all
the features of the evolving technological
changes, this compilation is a very effec-
tive reference tool. In addition to providing
practical step by step procedures for rou-
tine implementation, well thought out in-
sight and directions are also provided.
I found the material very easy to read.
It is not loaded with detailed mathematical
models and equations, instead the authors
have used standard radiation therapy ter-
minology, and have introduced some new
relevant terms with very clear definitions.
In particular, the discussion of ICRU-50
concepts in Chapter 2 was very helpful for
understanding the material in the subse-
quent text.
This book is a must for all radiation
therapy related personnel interested in par-
ticipating in the technological revolution
that will shape the practice of radiation
therapy in the next decade.
Reviewed by Bhudatt Paliwal
Bhudatt Paliwal, Ph.D. is the Director of
Radiation Oncology Physics at the Univer-
sity of Wisconsin—Madison.
The Modern Technology of Radiation
Oncology: A Compendium for Medical
Physicists and Radiation Oncologists.
Jacob Van Dyk, editor. 1072 pp.
Medical Physics Publishing, Madison,
WI, 1999. Price: $145.95 ~softcover!.
ISBN: 0-944838-22-7 ~softcover!; ISBN:
0-944838-38-3 ~hardcover!.
The book is best described by a single
word in the subtitle, ‘‘compendium.’’ It
surveys the field of radiation oncology
from the perspective of the practicing
clinical physicist and does an excellent job
of covering the field. Two things will
quickly become apparent to the reader.
The first is the lack of equations. With rare
exception, about six of the 25 chapters,
there are no equations but rather the prin-
© 2000 Am. Assoc. Phys. Med. 626
ciples involved are described in a clear and
comprehensive manner without the use of
equations. The second feature is the wealth
of up-to-date references at the end of each
section. Numerous 1998 and some 1999
references were listed. Given the book was
copyrighted in 1999, this was surprising.
The book consists of 25 chapters aver-
aging some 40 pages per chapter. A total
of 56 authors/co-authors have participated.
The chapter authors are an international
who’s who in the field of medical physics.
Clearly some of them are writing on a sub-
topic that is very near and dear to them.
The quality of the printing of the book
is adequate but not to the standards of
627 Med. Phys. 27 „3…, March 2000
Medical Physics. Specifically the repro-
duction of some radiographic images and
photographs are quite poor. Fortunately the
text material does not require one to dis-
cern detail in the figures and little of the
presentation is lost for the reader.
From the perspective of the academi-
cian, I do not see the book being used as a
text for formal courses. The material is
broad in scope but does not go to the depth
one would wish for a medical physics
course. In fairness to the authors, it was
not their intent to write a text. The cost,
$145 softcover, would also give some
pause to the book being selected as a text.
The strength of the book is for the prac-
ticing clinical physicist or radiation oncol-
ogy resident with an inclination toward
physics. The book nicely scopes the vari-
ous aspects of radiation oncology and
points the reader in the right direction. The
numerous references allow one to pursue
any specific topic to the depth the reader
wishes.
In summary, it is a nice book for the
clinical physicist to have on their book-
shelf.
Reviewed by James B. Smathers
James B. Smathers is a Professor of Ra-
diation Oncology at UCLA.
© 2000 Am. Assoc. Phys. Med. 627
View publication stats