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Journal of the ICRU 2007 7(2):5-10; doi:10.1093/jicru/ndm023
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© International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements 2007

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The rationale for using protons for radiation therapy lies in their physical properties (i.e., near-zero dose distal to the target volume and the resultant capability of conforming the planned dose more closely to the specified target volume than is feasible by photon techniques). The biological effects of proton beams have no known or predicted advantages. The depth–dose curve for a monoenergetic proton beam exhibits a relatively flat low-dose entrance region (the plateau) followed by a sharp high-dose peak (the Bragg peak), just beyond which the particles lose the remainder of their energy in a few millimeters. For planning of conventional proton-beam therapy, the distribution of proton energies is designed to provide a near-uniform dose across the volume of interest, i.e., . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Radiation biology
Beam delivery and properties
Dosimetry
Geometry and dose-volume definitions
Treatment planning
Motion management
Uncertainty
Quality assurance
Prescribing, recording, and reporting treatment

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