The Modern Technology of Radiation Oncology, Vol 3
Author: Jacob Van Dyk, EditorISBN: 9781930524668
Published: 2013 September | 604 pp | eBook
Price: $ 150.00
AAPM Med. Phys. 41 | December 2014
Description
This book is the third volume in the series of The Modern Technology of Radiation Oncology, edited by Jacob Van Dyk. The first two volumes were published in 1999 and 2005, respectively. This volume consists of 16 chapters and was written by 34 contributors from the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, and the Netherlands. The book contains 574 pages, including many colorful figures.
Purpose
For the past fifteen years, the evolution and speed of technology in Radiation Oncology have been unprecedented. In the three volume series, you have experts in their field describing the clinical implementation of these comprehensive modern technologies. This volume covers some of the newest technology developments in molecular imaging, proton and light ions radiotherapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic and robotic radiotherapy, image-guided brachytherapy, and safety and quality assurance in the modern era.
Audience
The primary audience is intended for medical physicists and radiation oncologists. Because of the in-depth technical details, this book is probably more suitable for medical physicists of all levels. It is also a great reference for radiation oncologists, radiation dosimetrists, therapists, and administrators with the desire to obtain a deep understanding in one or more specific topics. Again, the contributing authors are internationally known experts in their respective field.
Content/Features
The book is a timely supplement to the first two volumes, concentrating particularly on new technology developments, such as, the combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and treatment systems (chapter 4), radiation therapy with light ions (chapter 6), and image-guided brachytherapy (chapter 7). The book also included some safety topics: quality assurance in the modern era (chapter 10), accuracy and uncertainty considerations in modern radiation oncology (chapter 11), and safety, errors, and lesson learned (chapter 12). A new chapter is devoted to ethics in radiation oncology (chapter 14). Then, we have information about how clinical trials are developed and the roles of medical physicists in these trials (chapter 15). Finally, chapter 16 gives you a comprehensive list of medical physics resources for working, teaching, and learning.
Assessment/Comparison
It has been eight years since the second volume of The Modern Technology of Radiation Oncology was published. During this time, intensity modulated radiotherapy and image-guided radiotherapy have become the mainstay of Radiation Oncology. This book provides a comprehensive overview of new technologies, such as, volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), stereotactic and robotic radiotherapy, and proton therapy. The book updates newly clinically implemented technologies in the multileaf collimators (MLC) from three major vendors (chapter 4), small field dosimetry (chapter 8), and in vivo dosimetry (chapter 9). In addition, it is a great reference tool for radiation oncologists, radiation dosimetrists, therapists, and administrators with the desire to obtain a deep understanding of these new technologies. For radiation oncologists, the most relevant chapters are the molecular imaging in radiation oncology (chapter 2), the dose–volume considerations (chapter 3), and the radiation therapy with light ions (chapter 6). For administrators, they may find chapter 1 of technology evolution and chapter 13 of management, staffing, and resource considerations particularly useful. As for radiation therapists, chapter 12 on safety, errors, and lessons learned maybe of valuable interest.
Reviewed by Ping Xia, Ph.D.
Ping Xia is the Head of Medical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology and holds the Don DiGeronimo Chair in Medical Physics. She is a Professor of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. She is also Fellow of AAPM.