Course Directors

Tommy knöös, Physicist, Lund University Hospital (SE)
Brendan Mc.Clean, Physicist, St. Luke's Hospital, Dublin (IRL)

Teachers

Anders Ahnesjö, Physicist, Uppsala University and  Nucletron Scandinavia AB, Uppsala (SE)
Maria Mania Aspradakis, Physicist, Cantonal Hospital of Graubünden, Chur (CH)
Jörgen Olofsson, Physicist, University Umeå, Umeå (SE)
Guenther H. Hartmann, Physicist, German Cancer Research Center, Department Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, Heidelberg (D)
Núria Jornet I Sala, Physicist, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona (ES)

Course aim

To review beam characterisation and beam modelling
 To understand reference dosimetry and it’s extensions to modern treatment modalities
To understand relative dose calculation methods and the concept behind simple and advanced dose calculation algorithms as applied in state-of-the-art treatment planning systems
To review dose verification methods and to offer an overview of available technologies and evaluation methods

Target Group

The course is primarily aimed at and recommended for radiotherapy physicists, medical radiation physicists, experienced dosimetrists working in treatment planning. The participants should preferably have at least attended the ESTRO course «Physics for Clinical RT» or equivalent and should have some practical experience in RT physics.

Educational programme 

·          Beam characterisation and dosimetry protocols :

   o         Treatment head physics
o         Separation of head and phantom scatter
o         Dosimetry protocols (IAEA TRS 398)
o         Beam modelling : Monte Carlo, semi-analytical, empirical methods.

·          Dose calculation for photon and electron beams:

   o         Factor-based methods
o         Kernel-based methods
o         Monte Carlo simulation in radiotherapy
o         Dose calculation and optimisation in IMRT
o         Practical sessions on: basics radiation physics, factor-based MU calculation (ESTRO formalism), and dosimetry protocols.

·          Dose verification:

   o         Procedures for conventional and advanced treatment techniques
o         Experimental methods for IMRT verification: phantoms, ionisation chambers, film, portal dosimetry, in vivo dosimetry, QA of dose calculations.