Current uses and applications of stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a modality that delivers high doses of radiation to a well-defined tumor target in a single or a few fractions and with high precision, which significantly reduces the dose received by surrounding normal tissues. SBRT is indicated for inoperable, early stage (T1 and T2) primary non-small cell lung cancer, lung metastases with a controlled primary tumor, prostate tumors and oligometastatic disease. Despite the lack of long-term or phase III studies, efficacy results in local control are higher than 90%, with similar toxicity to that reported with conventional fractionated radiotherapy.

Out-of-field mean photon energy and dose from 6 MV and 6 MV FFF beams measured with TLD-300 and TLD-100 dosimeters.

Purpose: To measure the out-of-field mean photon energy and dose imparted by the secondary radiation field generated by 6 MV and 6 MV FFF beams using TLD-300 and TLD-100 dosimeters and to use the technique to quantify the contributions from the different sources that generate out-of-field radiation.

Methods: The mean photon energy and the dose were measured using the TLD-300 glow curve properties and the TLD-100 response, respectively. The TLD-300 glow curve shape was energy-calibrated with gamma rays from Tc, F, Cs, and Co sources, and its energy dependence was quantified by a parameter obtained from the curve deconvolution.

Medical physics graduate education in Mexico and its relation to the advances in radiation oncology.

Aim: To evaluate the state of graduate education in medical physics and progress in radiation oncology (RO) equipment in Mexico since 2000, when conferring degrees from two master's-degree programs in Medical Physics began.

Background: Medical physics is a Health Profession and there are international recommendations for education, training, and certification. Both programs follow these education guidelines.

Voluntary breath-hold reduces dose to organs at risk in radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer.

Aim: To compare the dose to organs at risk with free breathing (FB) or voluntary breath-hold (VBH) during radiotherapy of patients with left sided breast cancer.

Background: Radiotherapy reduces the risk of breast-cancer-specific mortality but the effects on other organs increase non-cancer-specific mortality. Radiation exposure to the heart, in particular in patients with left sided breast cancer, can be reduced by breath hold methods that increase the distance between the heart and the radiation field.

Implementation of intensity modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer in a private radiotherapy service in Mexico.

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) allows physicians to deliver higher conformal doses to the tumour, while avoiding adjacent structures. As a result the probability of tumour control is higher and toxicity may be reduced. However, implementation of IMRT is highly complex and requires a rigorous quality assurance (QA) program both before and during treatment.