Abstract
The most satisfactory therapeutic regimens for local tumour control have been derived empirically, but the empiricism fails to explain why the best available regimens are not successful for all types and grades of tumours. Radiobiological explanations of treatment failure offer, in principle, suggestions for the design of novel regimes of radiotherapy, alone or in combination with other physical and chemical agents, which may reduce the incidence of treatment failures. This is the “predictive” role of radiobiology that follows its “interpretive” role. To date, benefits of predictive radiobiology have not been striking, leading to the attitude that radiobiology is an expensive irrelevance.
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Further Reading
General Radiobiology for the Radiotherapist
Hall EJ (1988) Radiobiology for the radiologist. JB Lippincott Company, Philadelphia
The Radiobiology of Tissues
Selected chapters in: Potten CS, Hendry JH (eds) (1983) Cytotoxic insult to tissues, effects on cell lineages. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh
Steel GG (ed) (1989) The radiobiology of human cells and tissues. Taylor and Francis, London
Tumours
Kallman RF (ed) (1987) Rodent tumour models in experimental cancer therapy. Pergamon Press, New York
Dose Fractionation
Thames HD, Hendry JH (1987) Fractionation in radiotherapy. Taylor and Francis, London
Other Treatments
Catterall M, Bewley DK (1979) Fast neutrons in the treatment of cancer. Academic Press, and Grune and Stratton, New York
Bewley DK (1989) The physics and radiobiology of fast neutron beams. Adam Hilger, Bristol
Malaise EP, Guichard M, Siemann DW (1989) Chemical modifiers of cancer treatment. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, Numbers 4 and 5 885–1350. Pergamon Press, New York
Sugahara T (1989) Hyperthermic oncology. Taylor and Francis, London
Field SB, Hand JW (1990) An introduction to the practical aspects of clinical hyperthermia. Taylor and Francis, London
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© 1991 Springer-Verlag London Limited
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Sutton, M.L., Hendry, J.H. (1991). Applied Radiobiology. In: Pointon, R.C.S. (eds) The Radiotherapy of Malignant Disease. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3168-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3168-7_2
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-3170-0
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