Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
06:20
Irradiator Commissioning and Dosimetry for Assessment of LQ α and β Parameters, Radiation Dosing Schema, and in vivo Dose Deposition
Published on: March 11, 2021
7.9K
Time to demand dosimetry for molecular radiotherapy?
11 Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
The British Journal of Radiology
|January 10, 2015
Summary
Molecular radiotherapy (MRT) lacks standardized dosimetry, leading to variable patient doses despite its long clinical use. Establishing dosimetry practices is crucial for consistent and effective MRT treatments.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Oncology
- Radiochemistry
Background:
- Molecular radiotherapy (MRT) has been clinically utilized for approximately 75 years.
- Current MRT practice often relies on empirical experience rather than established dosimetry protocols.
- This contrasts significantly with the standardized dosimetry employed in external-beam radiotherapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the absence of established dosimetry practices in molecular radiotherapy.
- To discuss the barriers hindering the development of MRT dosimetry.
- To propose future directions for advancing MRT dosimetry.
Main Methods:
- This commentary reviews the current state of molecular radiotherapy dosimetry.
- It identifies and discusses key challenges and barriers to establishing dosimetry.
- Opinions and recommendations for future progress are presented.
Main Results:
- A significant lack of standardized dosimetry for calculating absorbed dose in MRT is evident.
- Treatment variability arises from administering similar activities, potentially leading to disparate doses.
- Existing practices are not comparable to the precise dosimetry in external-beam radiotherapy.
Conclusions:
- Urgent need for established dosimetry protocols in molecular radiotherapy.
- Overcoming barriers is essential for consistent and safe patient treatments.
- Standardized dosimetry will enhance the efficacy and predictability of MRT.
Related Concept Videos
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
19.9K
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they...
19.9K
01:28Isotopes and Radioisotopes
13.9K
In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing...
An isotope containing...
13.9K
01:05Absorption of Radiation
1.7K
The rate of heat transfer by emitted radiation is described by the Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation:
1.7K