A Practical Guide to Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy
Author: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Ling)ISBN: 9781930524132 ISBN10: 1930524137
Published: 2003 | 450 pp. | Hardcover
Price: $ 62.95 was 125.00
Medical Physics | September 2003
"This timely book on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) consists of 19 chapters with an insightful foreword contributed by a prominent radiation oncologist. All the chapters were written by physicists, radiation oncologists, and a radiologist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The book covers a remarkably broad range of topics in IMRT. Each chapter has a content list and is accompanied by comprehensive references.
"The first chapter discusses applications of imaging tools (MR spectrocopy and PET) to identify biological and functional states of tumor and eventually to boost the dose or 'paint' a part of the CTV for improved local control. Chapter 2 is a thorough summary of the book. If one wants to know what IMRT is and how it is practiced, this chapter serves as an excellent introduction. Chapters 3 and 4 present algorithms used for IMRT calculations. Chapter 3 gives a detailed description of the inverse planning algorithm using the conjugate gradient optimization methods and a quadratic objective function. In Chapter 4 the authors discuss a method to generate leaf motion data for the sliding window technique. A dose calculation method, which is routinely used at MSKCC for treatment plan evaluation and has replaced patent-specific dose measurements using ionization chambers and films, is given in Chapter 5. This chapter is an invaluable resource for many users of future commercial software. The computational algorithm has not been described in the open literature in such an exhaustive manner. Chapter 6 discusses step-by-step procedures of the IMRT treatment planning process. The discussion is focused on the MSKCC system, but the overall procedure may apply to IMRT using any other system. In Chapters 7 and 8 the author gives a very detailed and well-written discussion on acceptance testing, commissioning, and routine QA procedures. However, neither these chapters nor any other section in the book discuss the commissioning procedures of treatment planning software. Chapters 9 to 14 are devoted to site-specific descriptions of clinical implementation of IMRT. The disease sites covered are prostate, head/neck, pediatric cancers, breast, lung, and sites requiring large fields such as endometrial cancers. All these chapters were co-authored by medical physicists and radiation oncologists. Unique features of some of these chapters are inclusions of site-specific optimization templates with standard beam arrangements and constraints imposed on targets and critical structures. Chapter 15 provides an up-to-date review of applications of NTCP and TCP models to IMRT treatment planning optimization. The discussion is a very good introduction to the subject, which is becoming more important as more clinical data become available. Chapter 16 presents MSKCC data and analyses of patient setup uncertainties, and EPID applications on verification of delivered dose and fluence distributions. In Chapter 17 the authors discuss techniques for minimizing the geometric uncertainty due to breathing using both the deep inspiration breath hold method and the Varian Real-Time Position Management system. This chapter also covers techniques to monitor and evaluate intra- and inter-fraction motion of patients. Chapter 18 demonstrates the usefulness of a stereotactic body immobilization technique to treat recurrent paraspinal tumors. The final chapter, Chapter 19, is a short but very informative discussion on accelerator room shielding issues as related to IMRT.
"The book entitled as 'Practical' is truly a practical manual for users and potential users of IMRT delivery systems similar to the MSKCC system. The book covers all technical aspects essential to high quality treatment with this new modality. The reviewer hopes to see more books like this focusing on other commercially available IMRT systems. The book is a handy technical resource for medical physicists initiating an IMRT program as well as for experienced IMRT users. The book is also recommended for radiation oncologists who are particularly interested in the technological aspects of IMRT."
-Yoichi Watanabe