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Anniversary Paper: Role of medical physicists and the AAPM in improving geometric aspects of treatment accuracy and precision
Author(s) -
Yorke Ellen D.,
Keall Paul,
Verhaegen Frank
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.2836420
Subject(s) - medical physicist , medical physics , medical imaging , precision medicine , medical radiation , dosimetry , medicine , computer science , nuclear medicine , radiology , pathology
The last 50 years have seen great advances in the accuracy of external beam radiation therapy. Geometrical uncertainties have been reduced from a centimeter or more in presimulation, skin‐mark guided days to 1–2 mm in today's image‐guided radiation therapy treatments. Medical physicists, with the support and guidance of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), have been, and continue to be, at the forefront of research, development and clinical implementation in this area. This article reviews some of the major contributions of physicists to the improvement of treatment accuracy and precision, and speculates as to what the future may bring.