High dose rate gynecological applications--radiobiological considerations based on the alpha-beta model.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
We compare the relative efficacy of high dose rate (HDR) and low dose rate (LDR) irradiation in gynecological implants, using formulations based on the linear-quadratic (alpha-beta) model. We consider both acute reaction and late effect as endpoints in evaluating equivalence for HDR and LDR treatments, at Point A (as defined in the text) and at other locations. We define a therapeutic factor gamma as an index for relative efficacy, with gamma > 1 indicating a gain in substituting HDR for LDR. It is found that gamma < 1 for most clinical situations, although a modest decrease (of about 15%) in dose to critical organs for HDR would raise gamma above unity.
