Contents:
General description of a linear accelerator
and its component
systems. Basic processes in electron acceleration - the
accelerating waveguide.
The microwave system and its high voltage supplies. The
vacuum, cooling and
ancillary systems. The electron beam (its production and
transport). The
treatment head. The dose monitoring and control system.
Beam direction and beam
shaping devices. Mechanical systems. Control and
interlock systems. Treatment
verification. Specification, performance and
calibration. Radiation protection
and room design. Accelerator operation. Simulators and
tomographic scanners.
Contemporary developments.
Synopsis:
Linear Accelerators for Radiation Therapy
focuses on the
fundamentals of accelerator systems, explaining the
underlying physics and the
different features of such systems. This edition
includes expanded sections on
the treatment head, on x-ray production via multileaf
and dynamic collimation
for the production of wedged and other intensity
modulated beams, on electron
scattering systems and on dosimetry.
Published Reviews:
"... a very welcome second edition ...
thoroughly up to date
with sections on MLCs, EPIDs, computer control of
LINACs, dosimetry protocols,
imaging and costs ... intensely practical and useful
volume ... ",
Professor S Webb, Institute of Cancer
Research and Royal Marsden
NHS Trust
"... excellent ... clearly written for
medical physicists in
the field."
Professor S Lillicrap, Head of Medical
Physics, Wessex Regional
Medical Physics Service
"... notable improvements include ...
technology of
state-of-the-art radiotherapy techniques, more in-depth
treatment of specialist
topics such as waveguide theory and electron beam optics
... marked increase in
the number and quality of diagrams"
J B Tuohy, Head of Radiotherapy Technology,
Cookridge Hospital
"a useful book for the indicated
readership"
A N L Kay, Director, Varian Oncology
Systems.
"... a reasonably sized and priced
textbook that should be on
every therapy department bookshelf and in every medical
and radiography school.
Radiographers, radiotherapists, medical technical
offiers, manufacturers and
clinical scientists would all benefit from this
book."
Mr P H Smithson, Principal Physicist,
Medical Equipment Management
Organisation, Bristol Oncology Centre, RAD Magazine,
April 1998
Readership:
Medical physicists, radiation oncologists
and therapy
radiographers. Suitable as an introduction to the field
for graduates of
physics and medical physics degrees, and as
supplementary reading for final
year undergraduates of the same.