PHYS 383: Applications of physics in medicine (offered at the University of Waterloo from Jan 2015) Course Description: This course is an introduction to physics in medicine and is intended to introduce students to various techniques and concepts in physics, including ionizing radiation, used in medicine particularly in oncology, for diagnosis and treatments of diseases. The course has been designed to follow the basic curriculum of a Medical Physics training program where students will gain insight to the importance of radiological physics in medicine and issues associated. The course is an introduction to the AAPM academic program recommendations for graduate degree in medical physics. The course is aimed at students with a career interest in medical physics and who may pursue graduate studies in medical physics. Course Schedule: Week Day Topic Radiological Physics and Dosimetry I 1. Atomic and Nuclear Structure Week 1 Day 1 2. Classification of Radiation 3. Quantities and Units Used for Describing Radiation Fields Day 2 4. Quantities and Units Used for Describing the Interaction of Ionizing EO Radiation with Matter 5. Indirectly Ionizing Radiations: Photon Beams 6. Exponential Attenuation Radiological Physics and Dosimetry II 7. Photon Interactions with Matter Week 2 Day 3 8. Indirectly Ionizing Radiations: Neutron Beams EO Day 4 9. Neutron Interactions with Matter 10. Directly Ionizing Radiations 11. Interactions of Directly Ionizing Radiations with Matter 12. Radioactive Decay Radiological Physics and Dosimetry III 13. Charged Particle and Radiation Equilibrium 14. Radiation Dosimetry 15. Calorimetric Dosimetry Week 3 Day 5 16. Chemical (Fricke) Dosimetry 17. Cavity Theory Day 6 18. Ionization Chambers EO 19. Calibration of Photon and Electron Beams with Ionization Chambers 20. Dosimetry and Phantoms for Special Beams (or Non-TG-51 Compliant Beams) 21. Relative Dosimetry Techniques 22. Dosimetry by Pulse-Mode Detectors
23. Microdosimetry Fundamentals of Imaging in Medicine 1. X-Ray Production 2. Energizing and Controlling the X-Ray Tube 3. X-Ray Tube Heating and Cooling 4. X-Ray Image Formation and Contrast 5. Scattered Radiation and Contrast 6. Radiographic Receptors 7. The Photographic Process and Film Sensitivity Week 4 8. Film Contrast Characteristics Day 7 9. Radiographic Density Control Day 8 10. Blur, Resolution, and Visibility of Detail LZ 11. Radiographic Detail 12. Image Noise 13. Fluoroscopic Imaging Systems 14. Dose and Dose Reduction Issues 15. Digital X-Ray Imaging Systems and Image processing 16. Computed Tomography image formation 17. Computed Tomography Image Quality 18. Principles of Ultrasound Imaging 19. Principles of Magnetic Resonance Imaging.. 20. Principles of Nuclear Medicine/Imaging Radiobiology I 1. Review of Interaction of Radiation with Matter 2. Radiation Injury to DNA Week 5 3. Repair of DNA Damage Day 9 4. Radiation-Induced Chromosome Damage and Repair 5. Survival Curve Theory Day 10 RJ 6. Cell Death: Concepts of Cell Death (Apoptosis and Reproductive Cell Death) 7. Cellular Recovery Processes 8. Cell Cycle 9. Modifiers of Radiation Response Sensitizers and Protectors Radiobiology II 10. RBE, OER, and LET 11. Cell Kinetics Week 6 12. Radiation Injury to Tissues Day 11 13. Radiation Pathology Acute and Late Effects Day 12 14. Histopathology RJ 15. Tumor Radiobiology 16. Time, Dose, and Fractionation 17. Radiation Genetics: Radiation Effects of Fertility and Mutagenesis 18. Molecular Mechanisms 19. Drug Radiation Interactions Week 7 Day 13 Radiation Protection and Radiation Safety
PC Week 8 JD Week 9 JD Week 10 JD Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20 1. Introductions and Historical Perspective 2. Interaction Physics as Applied to Radiation Protection 3. Operational Dosimetry 4. Radiation Detection Instrumentation 5. Shielding: Properties and Design 6. Statistics 7. Radiation Monitoring of Personnel 8. Internal Exposure 9. Environmental Dispersion 10. Biological Effects 11. Regulations 12. High/Low Level Waste Disposal 13. Nonionizing Radiation Radiation Therapy I Radiation oncology Overview of Clinical Radiation Oncology Radiobiological Basis of Radiation Therapy External Beam Radiation Therapy Clinical Photon Beams: Description Clinical Photon Beams: Point Dose Calculations Clinical Photon Beams: Basic Clinical Dosimetry Clinical Electron Beams Special Photon and Electron Beams Treatment Planning Target Volume Definition and Dose Prescription Criteria (ICRU 50 and ICRU 62) Photon Beams: Dose Modeling and Treatment Planning Photon Beams: Treatment Planning Clinical Photon Beams: Patient Application Clinical Electron Beams: Dose Modeling and Treatment Planning Radiation Therapy II Radiation Therapy Devices Radiation Therapy Machines Linear Accelerator (Linac) Tomotherapy CyberKnife Machine Acquisition Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA) Phantom Systems and Water Tanks Radiation Therapy III Special Techniques in Radiotherapy Special External Beam Radiotherapy Techniques: Basic Characteristics, Historical Development, Quality Assurance (Equipment and Treatment), Diseases Treated
Week 11 PC Week 12 EO/ Day 21 Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) Radiation Therapy with Neutrons, Protons, and Heavy Ions Rationale Neutrons Protons Heavy Ions (Helium, Carbon, Nitrogen, Neon, Argon) Brachytherapy Brachytherapy: Basic Physical Characteristics Brachytherapy: Clinical Aspects Stereotactic Radiosurgery Respiratory-gated radiation therapy Total Body irradiation (TBI) Total skin electron irradiation (TSEI) Intra-operative Radiotherapy (IORT) Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) SBRT Nuclear Medicine Principles of radioisotope imaging Production of radioisotopes Biological uptake Physical and biological half life Gamma Cameras Types of scans SPECT, tomographic PET imaging Radiation Protection in Radiotherapy. Operational Safety Guidelines Structural Shielding of Treatment Installations Imaging for Treatment Guidance and Monitoring 1. Motion and Motion Management 2. CT and 4D CT 3. Portal Imaging 4. Cone-Beam CT 5. MV CT 6. 2D and 3D Ultrasound 7. Fusion, Registration, Deformation 8. Motion Management through Gating and Coaching Special Topics Computational Skills Professional Ethics/Conflict of Interest/Scientific Misconduct Data, Patient Records, Measurement Results, and Reports Publications and Presentations General Professional Conduct
Research
Course Text: Review of Radiation Oncology Physics: A Handbook for Teachers and Students, Podgorsak, E., editor, International Atomic Energy Agency, Educational Reports Series, Vienna, Austria (2003). http://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/publications/pdf/pub1196_web.pdf Other Useful Texts: The Physics of Radiology, Johns, H. E., Cunningham, J. R., Thomas, Springfield, Maryland, USA, (1994). The Physics of Radiation Therapy, Khan, F., M., Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, (1994). The Physics of Radiotherapy X-rays from Linear Accelerators, Metcalfe, P., Kron, T., Hoban, P., Medical Physics Publishing, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, (1997). Modern Technology of Radiation Oncology: A Compendium for Medical Physicists and Radiation Oncologists, Van Dyk, J., editor, Medical Physics Publishing, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, (1999). Radiobiology for the Radiologist, Eric J. Hall and Amato J Giaccia Lippincott Williams & Wilkins