Advanced Physics for Brachytherapy 2018

Consequences: Uncertainties associated with this process?

• Limited measurements ➢

e.g. 1930s’ data of prostate from a specimen of 14 year old boy 1

• Considerable tissue composition variability ➢

e.g. Adipose tissue water content between 23% to 78% 2

• Patient-specific distribution of tissue types ➢

e.g. Breast adipose vs glandular composition: 16% to 68% 3,4

1) A. H. Neufeld, Canadian Journal of Research 15B, 132-138 (1937). 2) B. Brooksby, B. W. et al., PNAS 103 (23), 8828-8833 (2006). 3) R. A. Geise and A. Palchevsky, Radiology 198 (2), 347-50 (1996) 4) The Myth of the 50-50 breast, MJ Yaffe et al., Med Phys 36 (2009)