Summary:
This concise but comprehensive textbook sets out the essentials of the science and clinical application of radibiology for those seeking accreditation in radiation oncology, clinical radiation physics and radiation technology. Fully revised and updated to keep abreast of current developments in radiation biology and radiation oncology, the fourth edition continues to present in an interesting way the biological basis of radiation therapy, discussing the basic principles and significant developments that underlie the latest attempts to improve the radiotherapeutic management of cancer.

New topics for the fourth edition include chapters on the mechanisms of cell death, biological response modifiers, and biological image guided radiotherapy, with major revisions to sections on the molecular basis of the radiation response, tumour hypoxia and the dose-rate effect. A variety of new authors have contributed to this revision, who, together with the new Editorial team, have used their significant international teaching experience to ensure the content remains clear and comprehensive, and as valuable to the trainee as it is to the established radiation oncologist.

With the fourth edition we will see the most radical change so far - as Professor Gordon Steel has retired as Editor and has been replaced by Bert van der Kogel, the current current course director for the above-mentioned course, plus Michael Joiner, who is the head of the Radiation Biology Program at the Wayne State University and is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Radiation Biology.

* Builds on the success and reputation of previous successful editions
* The gold-standard European text for training, adopted by ESTRO as a course book, and a core text for the Royal College of Radiologists' radiobiology exam
* Revised and updated to bring the text in line with all recent developments in the field - new material added and some material removed
* Continues to adopt a clear and concise style, appropriate for trainees and also practising radiation oncologists requiring a ready reference to the subject
* Draws on the considerable teaching experience of an international author team
* Highly illustrated to improve understanding


Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: the significance of radiobiology and radiotherapy for cancer treatment
2. Irradiation-induced damage and the DNA damage response
3. Cell death after irradiation – how, when and why cells die
4. Quantitating cell kill and cell survival
5. Models of radiation response
5. Dose-response relationships in radiotherapy
6. LET and RBE
7. Tumour growth and response to radiation
8. Fractionation: the L-Q approach
9. The L-Q approach in clinical practice
10. Modified fractionation
11. Time factors in normal-tissue response to radiation
12. The dose-rate effect
13. Pathogenesis of normal-tissue side-effects
14. The volume effect in radiotherapy
15. The oxygen effect and fractionated radiotherapy
16. The tumour microenvironment and cellular hypoxia responses
17. Therapeutic approaches to tumor hypoxia
18. Combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy
19. Retreatment tolerance of normal tissues
20. Molecular image-guided radiotherapy with positron emission tomography
21. Molecular-targeted agents for enhancing tumour response
22. Biological response modifiers in the clinic: tumor
22. Biological response modifiers: normal tissue
23. Molecular targeting and patient individualization
24. Protons and other ions in radiotherapy
25. Second cancers after radiotherapy

About the Author(s):
Michael Joiner, Head of the Radiation Biology Program at the Wayne State University, and also Associate Editor of the International Journal of Radiation Biology.


Albert van der Kogel, current course director for the Basic Clinical Radiobiology Course at ESTRO, and also Chair of Clinical Radiobiology at the University of Nijmegen, Netherlands.