Principles of radiation therapy

Janusz Winiecki

doi:10.1515/psr-2019-0063

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Article

Principles of radiation therapy

Janusz Winiecki

Published/Copyright: December 4, 2020

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From the journal Physical Sciences Reviews Volume 7 Issue 12

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.

Keywords: dose delivery; ionizing radiation; physical principles of radiotherapy; radiation interaction with matter; techniques in radiotherapy; treatment planning

Corresponding author: Janusz Winiecki, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika w Toruniu Collegium Medicum im Ludwika Rydygiera w Bydgoszczy, Chair and Clinic Oncology and Brachytherapy, Romanowskiej 2, Bydgoszcz, Poland; and Medical Physics Department, Oncology Center in Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz, Poland, E-mail: janusz@co.bydgoszcz.pl.

Author contribution: The author has accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Conflict of interest statement: The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding this article.

References

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Published Online: 2020-12-04

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/psr-2019-0063

Keywords for this article

dose delivery; ionizing radiation; physical principles of radiotherapy; radiation interaction with matter; techniques in radiotherapy; treatment planning