Dynamic Electron Arc Radiotherapy (DEAR): A New Conformal Electron Therapy Technique

Electron beam therapy represents an underutilized area in radiation therapy. While electron radiation therapy has existed for many decades and electron beams with multiple energies are available on linear accelerators -- the most common device to deliver radiation therapy -- efforts to advance the field have been slow. In contrast, photon beam therapy has seen rapid advancements in the past decade, and has become the main modality for radiation therapy treatment.;This doctoral research project comprises the development of a novel treatment modality, dynamic electron arc radiotherapy (DEAR) that seeks to address challenges to clinical implementation of electron beam therapy by providing a technique that may be able to treat specific patient subsets with better outcomes than current techniques. This research not only focused on the development of DEAR, but also aimed to improve upon and introduce new tools and techniques that could translate to current clinical electron beam therapy practice.;The concept of DEAR is presented. DEAR represents a new conformal electron therapy technique with synchronized couch motion. DEAR utilizes the combination of gantry rotation, couch motion, and dose rate modulation to achieve desirable dose distributions in patient. The electron applicator is kept to minimize scatter and maintain narrow penumbra. The couch motion is synchronized with the gantry rotation to avoid collision between patient and the electron cone.;Based on all the results from this project, DEAR has been found to be a feasible technique and demonstrates the potential to improve electron therapy. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).