Proton Therapy Physics

Expanding on the highly successful previous two editions, this third edition of Proton Therapy Physics has been updated throughout and includes several new chapters on “Adaptive Proton Therapy,” "Imaging for Planning,” “Flash Proton Therapy,” and “Outcome Modeling for Patient Selection.” Suitable for both newcomers in medical physics and more seasoned specialists in radiation oncology, this book provides an in-depth overview of the physics of this radiation therapy modality, eliminating the need to dig through information scattered across medical physics literature.

After tracing the history of proton therapy, this book explores the atomic and nuclear physics background necessary for understanding proton interactions with tissue. The text then covers dosimetry, including beam delivery, shielding aspects, computer simulations, detector systems, and measuring techniques for reference dosimetry. Important for daily operations, acceptance testing, commissioning, quality assurance, and monitor unit calibrations are outlined. This book moves on to discussions of imaging for planning and image guidance as well as treatment monitoring. Aspects of treatment planning for single- and multiple-field uniform doses, dose calculation concepts and algorithms, and precision and uncertainties for nonmoving and moving targets are outlined. Finally, the biological implications of using protons from a physics perspective as well as outcome modeling are discussed.

This book is an ideal practical guide for physicians, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, and physicists who already have some experience in radiation oncology. It is also an invaluable reference for graduate students in medical physics programs, physicians in their last year of medical school or residency, and those considering a career in medical physics.

Key Features:

• Updated with the latest technologies and methods in the field, covering all delivery methods of proton therapy, including beam scanning and passive scattering.

• Discusses clinical aspects, such as treatment planning and quality assurance.

• Offers insight into the past, present, and future of proton therapy from a physics perspective.

Dr. Harald Paganetti is a distinguished figure in the field of radiation oncology, serving as Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and Director of Physics Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned his PhD in experimental nuclear physics from the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn, Germany, in 1992.