background: to evaluate the dosimetric difference between conventional and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3d-crt) using 6 and 18 mv x-ray photons. materials and methods: computed tomography scans of 26 pelvic patients were acquired and transferred to the 3d treatment planning system. for each patient, 8 conventional plans (3, 4, 5 and 6 fields) and one 3d-crt plan were prepared using...

Mammography screening aims to reduce the number of breast cancer deaths by early detection of the disease, which is one of the leading causes of deaths for middle aged women in the western world. The risk from the x-ray radiation in mammography is relatively low but still a factor in the benefit-risk ratio of screening. The characterization and optimization of a digital mammography system is pr...

A quantitative comparison of two full three-dimensional (3D) gel dosimetry techniques was assessed in a clinical setting: radiochromic gel dosimetry with an in-house developed optical laser CT scanner and polymer gel dosimetry with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). To benchmark both gel dosimeters, they were exposed to a 6 MV photon beam and the depth dose was compared against a diamond detecto...

Purpose. Our purpose was to discuss the optimal treatment and outcomes for patients with skull base chordomas. Methods. We reviewed the pertinent literature for this study. Results. Skull base chordomas usually arise in the clivus and are rarely completely resectable. Therefore, most are treated with radiotherapy (RT). Because of the risk of severe late complications, the dose is often limited ...

bachground: hadron therapy is a novel technique of cancer radiation therapy which employs charged particles beams, 1 h and light ions in particular. due to their physical and radiobiological properties, they allow one to obtain a more conformal treatment, sparing better the healthy tissues located in proximity of the tumor and allowing a higher control of the disease.   objective: as it is well...

As flattening filter-free (FFF) photon beams become readily available for treat-ment delivery in techniques such as SBRT, thorough investigation of skin dose from FFF photon beams is necessary under clinically relevant conditions. Using a parallel-plate PTW Markus chamber placed in a custom water-equivalent phantom, surface-dose measurements were taken at 2 × 2, 3 × 3, 4 × 4, 6 × 6, 8 × 8, 10 ×...

Introduction: Average glandular dose (AGD), entrance skin air kerma (ESAK) and normalized glandular dose (DgN) are the main dosimetric quantities in mammography. In this study, DgN is evaluated in the presence of breast cyst, which is a common disease among women and the influence of size, number and location of the cysts on the DgN is investigated. Materials and Meth...

Purpose: A comparative treatment planning study has been undertaken between standard photon delivery techniques,b intensity modulated photon methods and spot scanned protons in order to investigate the merits and limitations of each of these treatment approaches. Methods: Plans for each modality were performed using CT scans and planning information for nine patients with varying indications an...

We explore experimentally the fundamental projective properties of a quantum measurement and their application in the control of a system’s evolution. We perform quantum non-demolition (QND) photon counting on a microwave field trapped in a very-high-Q superconducting cavity, employing circular Rydberg atoms as non-absorbing probes of light. By repeated measurement of the cavity field we demons...

Background: Skyshine describes the radiation scattered by the atmosphere above a LINAC facility to a point on the ground. The aim of this study was to measure the skyshine photon dose rates from two different (9 MV and 18 MV) medical linear accelerators. Materials and Methods: The photon beam was directed upward (180° gantry position), with a maximum photon field size (40 × 40 cm2) at the isoce...