Prog Med Phys.  2020 Sep;31(3):124-134. 10.14316/pmp.2020.31.3.124.

History of Radiation Therapy Technology

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Radiation Oncology, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Korea
  • 2Department of Radiation Oncology, Hanyang University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Here we review the evolutionary history of radiation therapy technology through the festschrift of articles in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Korean Society of Medical Physics (KSMP). Radiation therapy technology used in clinical practice has evolved over a long period of time. Various areas of science, such as medical physics, mechanical engineering, and computer engineering, have contributed to the continual development of new devices and techniques. The scope of this review was restricted to two areas; i.e., output energy production and functional development, because it is not possible to include all development processes of this technology due to space limitations. The former includes the technological transition process from the initial technique applied to the first model to the latest technique currently used in a variety of machines. The latter has had a direct effect on treatment outcomes and safety, which changed the paradigm of radiation therapy, leading to new guidelines on dose prescriptions, innovation of dose verification tools, new measurement methods and calculation systems for radiation doses, changes in the criteria for errors, and medical law changes in all countries. Various complex developments are covered in this review. To the best of our knowledge, there have been few reviews on this topic and we consider it very meaningful to provide a review in the festschrift in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the KSMP.

Keyword

History; Korean Society of Medical Physics; Therapy machine

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Deep-seated cancer therapy machine with 250 kVp (250 kVp, 15 mA, Model: GE Maximar 250-III) installed at Severance Hospital in 1961 [8].

  • Fig. 2 The developmental process of kV therapy machines from Granz to Orthovoltage. (a) The graph shows percentage depth doses (PDDs) of kV X-ray therapy machines and Co-60 machines with the maximum dose at a distance below the skin. (b) The machine in picture is a superficial therapy machine equipped with a cone, and (c) the picture demonstrates that superficial skin cancer can be treated using this type of machine.

  • Fig. 3 Initial design of the electron acceleration mode. Electrons were drifted through a series of flight tubes connected to an alternating voltage supply (AC) and accelerated only as they passed through the gaps between the drift tubes.

  • Fig. 4 From the initial medical LINAC to a future design under development. Dr. Kaplan and physicist Ginzton developed the first 6 MV medical linear accelerator (a) in the Western hemisphere in 1953, which was used to treat a 2 year-old boy with retinoblastoma in 1956 (Stanford Report, April 18, 2017). (b) Maxim et al. are developing pluridirectional high-energy agile scanning electronic radiotherapy (PHASER), which aims to be a platform for clinical translation of FLASH cancer radiotherapy [23].


Reference

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