Material and techniques of transcutaneous irradiation
Mazeron, J.J.
La Revue du Praticien 44(8): 1026-1033
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-2640 PMID: 7939319 Document Number: 428168
The aim of radiation therapy is to deliver a dose resulting in eradication of the tumor (primary tumor, lymph node, metastasis) with minimal damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Once the decision has been made to treat a patient with radiation, some pretreatment procedures must be done. First, target volume localisation must be accurately determinated as well as the dose-limiting normal tissue volume, using a simulator and a contouring device. Second, accurate daily positioning of the patient in the treatment position and reduction of the patient movement during the treatment are required to enable the radiation therapist to deliver the prescribed dose. The dedicated radiation planning computers play an essential role in modern radiation therapy because it allows to plan complex treatment with selecting the particles (photons, electrons, neutrons, protons), particle energies, treatment machines (kilovoltage unit, cobalt therapy machine, linear accelerator, cyclotron), fields arrangements, critical organ shielding blocks, wedges, and filters. Finally, field delineation and tumor coverage are checked using either port films or portal imaging.