Published in MPW, 28 April 2014
Scientists in the US have invented a reusable dosimeter that could improve the accuracy of radiation delivery during cancer therapy. The dosimeter, which is based on europium-doped potassium chloride, has a high spatial resolution and a tissue-like response (Phys. Med. Biol. 59 1899).
Modern types of radiotherapy, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy, employ highly complex dose distributions and therefore operate with spatial resolutions under a millimetre. To make sure that the correct amount of radiation is reaching a tumour, and not interfering with surrounding tissue, a radiation oncologist needs to record the incoming radiation with something that mimics tissue’s own response. […]
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