Delineating Organs at Risk in Radiation Therapy

About this book

• Practical guide for contouring organs at risk of radiation toxicity
• Clear presentation of radiological anatomy of organs at risk as seen on typical radiotherapy planning CT scans
• Many high-quality illustrations

Defining organs at risk is a crucial task for radiation oncologists when aiming to optimize the benefit of radiation therapy, with delivery of the maximum dose to the tumor volume while sparing healthy tissues. This book will prove an invaluable guide to the delineation of organs at risk of toxicity in patients undergoing radiotherapy. The first section addresses the anatomy of organs at risk, discusses the pathophysiology of radiation-induced damage, and presents dose constraints and methods for target volume delineation. The second section is devoted to the radiological anatomy of organs at risk as seen on typical radiotherapy planning CT scans, with a view to assisting the radiation oncologist to recognize and delineate these organs for each anatomical region – head and neck, mediastinum, abdomen, and pelvis. The book is intended both for young radiation oncologists still in training and for their senior colleagues wishing to reduce intra-institutional variations in practice and thereby to standardize the definition of clinical target volumes.

Table of contents

II.Section.- 1.Introduction.- 2.Anatomy and Physiopathology of radiation-induced damage of the Organ at Risk.- 3.Organ at Risks Radiation Dose-Constraints: Modeling Review and importance of organ delineation.- 4.Volumetric acquisition: Technical Notes.- II.Section.- 5.Axial CT Radiological Anatomy: Brain, Head and Neck.-Mediastinum.- Abdomen.-Pelvis.- 6.Digitally Reconstructed Radiographs (DRRs)