3 Principles of radiation therapy
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Janusz Winiecki
Abstract Introduction
: Radiotherapy is one of the basic methods of cancer treatment. Tens of millions of people around the world are exposed to ionizing radiation each year in the hope that it will help fight the disease or slow down its progress. Radiotherapy owes its success mainly to important discoveries in the field of physics, which allowed to understand the essence of the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter, in particular living matter. Materials: The following study explains which types of radiation have the ability to ionize matter. The difference between the interaction of electrically charged particles and neutral particles was explained. The author briefly described methods of delivering radiation to diseased tissues and how adjacent tissues are protected. The most important physical quantities describing the quality and dose of the delivered radiation were introduced. Conclusions: Safe use of radiotherapy as one of the methods of oncological treatment requires proficient knowledge of the basics of radiobiology and the physics of nuclear interactions. The study describes the most important steps in the preparation and implementation of radiotherapy, but it is not sufficient to fully understand this method. However, it provides an opportunity to be familiar with the issue in general.
Abstract Introduction
: Radiotherapy is one of the basic methods of cancer treatment. Tens of millions of people around the world are exposed to ionizing radiation each year in the hope that it will help fight the disease or slow down its progress. Radiotherapy owes its success mainly to important discoveries in the field of physics, which allowed to understand the essence of the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter, in particular living matter. Materials: The following study explains which types of radiation have the ability to ionize matter. The difference between the interaction of electrically charged particles and neutral particles was explained. The author briefly described methods of delivering radiation to diseased tissues and how adjacent tissues are protected. The most important physical quantities describing the quality and dose of the delivered radiation were introduced. Conclusions: Safe use of radiotherapy as one of the methods of oncological treatment requires proficient knowledge of the basics of radiobiology and the physics of nuclear interactions. The study describes the most important steps in the preparation and implementation of radiotherapy, but it is not sufficient to fully understand this method. However, it provides an opportunity to be familiar with the issue in general.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- List of contributing authors XIII
- 1 Personalized and targeted therapies 1
- 2 Advancements in cancer chemotherapy 27
- 3 Principles of radiation therapy 51
- 4 Advanced cell culture techniques for cancer research 81
- 5 Natural substances in cancer—do they work? 103
- 6 The application of the natural killer cells, macrophages and dendritic cells in treating various types of cancer 137
- 7 Non-radioactive imaging strategies for in vivo immune cell tracking 173
- 8 Present trends in the encapsulation of anticancer drugs 193
- 9 3D tumor model – a platform for anticancer drug development 213
- Index 241
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- List of contributing authors XIII
- 1 Personalized and targeted therapies 1
- 2 Advancements in cancer chemotherapy 27
- 3 Principles of radiation therapy 51
- 4 Advanced cell culture techniques for cancer research 81
- 5 Natural substances in cancer—do they work? 103
- 6 The application of the natural killer cells, macrophages and dendritic cells in treating various types of cancer 137
- 7 Non-radioactive imaging strategies for in vivo immune cell tracking 173
- 8 Present trends in the encapsulation of anticancer drugs 193
- 9 3D tumor model – a platform for anticancer drug development 213
- Index 241
