Modelling Radiotherapy Side Effects: Practical Applications for Planning Optimisation

The treatment of a patient with radiation therapy is planned to find the optimal way to treat a tumour while minimizing the dose received by the surrounding normal tissues. In order to better exploit the possibilities of this process, the availability of accurate and quantitative knowledge of the peculiar responses of the different tissues is of paramount importance. This book provides an invaluable tutorial for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and dosimetrists involved in the planning optimization phase of treatment. It presents a practical, accessible, and comprehensive summary of the field's current research and knowledge regarding the response of normal tissues to radiation. This is the first comprehensive attempt to do so since the publication of the QUANTEC guidelines in 2010. Features: Addresses the lack of systemization in the field, providing educational materials on predictive models, including methods, tools, and the evaluation of uncertainties Collects the combined effects of features, other than dose, in predicting the risk of toxicity in radiation therapy Edited by two leading experts in the field

Author Biography: Claudio Fiorino has more than 20-years of experience as a medical physicist, fully dedicated to radiotherapy, including both routine and development/research aspects. He is member of the Physics Committee of ESTRO (from 2007) and recently elected as member of the ESTRO Board. He is member of the Editorial Board of Physica Medica (EJMP) (2001), Radiotherapy and Oncology (2003), Radiation Oncology (2007); he was Associate Senior Physics Editor of the Int. J. Radiation Oncology Biol Phys (2012-2013) and is actually Associate Editor of Physica Medica (EJMP) since 2014. He received the Italian accreditation for University teaching (Physics: applied) for associate professorship (2013). He is author or co-author of several book chapters and of 167 full papers (Scopus) with, in total, more than 3400 citations, h-index: 35 (Scopus: 01/05/2016). Tiziana Rancati's main activities include development of NTCP models for the description of radioinduced toxicity with engagement in the task force of QUANTEC (Quantitative Analysis of Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic) and in the task force of PENTEC (Pediatric Normal Tissue Effects in the Clinic). She is a teacher in seminars and courses on radiobiology, statistics and modelling normal tissue reactions following radiation therapy. She is currently member of the editorial board of the World Journal of Clinical Oncology (since 2015). She received the Italian accreditation for University teaching (Physics: applied) for associate professorship (2013). She is author or co-author of book chapters and of 67 full papers 1830 citations, h-index=22, Scopus: 12/04/2016).

Chapter 1: The importance of the quality of data Chapter 2: Building a predictive model of toxicity: methods Chapter 3: Potentials and limits of phenomenological models Chapter 4: Pelvis: rectal and bowel toxicity Chapter 5: Pelvis: urinary toxicity and sexual dysfunctions Chapter 6: Abdomen Chapter 7: Optical structures and ears Chapter 8: Head and neck: parotids Chapter 9: Head and neck: larynx and structures involved in swallowing/nutritional problems and dysphonia Chapter 10: Thorax: lungs and esophagous Chapter 11: Heart and vascular problems Chapter 12: Adverse effects to the skin Chapter 13: Bones and hematological toxicity Chapter 14: Predicting toxicity in external radiotherapy Chapter 15: Data-sharing and toxicity modeling: a vision of the near future Chapter 16: Quantitative imaging for assessing and predicting toxicity Chapter 17: Beyond DVH: 2D/3D based dose comparison to assess predictors of toxicity Chapter 18: Radiobiological models in automatic treatment planning Chapter 19: Including genetic variables in NTCP models. Where are we? Where are we going?