| CODE | RAD3331 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Advanced Radiotherapy Science - Radiobiology, Imaging in Radiotherapy and Enhanced Radiotherapy | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Radiography | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to discuss advanced radiotherapy techniques and science. The study-unit builds upon the knowledge previously obtained by the students by developing a more in-depth understanding of radiobiology principles, advanced imaging, treatment planning and delivery techniques (including but not limited to MRI-linac and particle therapies). At the end of the study-unit, the students will be able to critically analyse and compare different radiotherapy techniques and evaluate their role in the management of various malignancies. The students will also be able to develop the competencies needed to improve patient outcomes by identifying the biological impact of radiotherapy on tumour control and side-effects. Study-unit Aims: The aim of this study-unit is to develop the student's knowledge and skills of the advanced aspects of radiotherapy science, including radiobiology, particle therapies, imaging in radiotherapy, radiotherapy planning and treatment administration, allowing students to critically analyse a variety of clinical cases and apply the principles learnt to provide cancer patients with improved outcomes. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate an understanding and ability to describe in detail the main developments and trends in technology and their applications to radiotherapy; - Discuss the applications, advantages and disadvantages of the leading advanced radiotherapy modalities used worldwide; - Describe the radiobiological principles and factors to be considered when choosing various treatment methods for malignant and benign conditions; - Explain in detail how intensity-modulated radiotherapy techniques are planned (using inverse planning) and administered (using linear accelerators). 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically discuss the suitability, advantages and disadvantages of the main developments in radiotherapy technology applied to different clinical cases; - Select the most appropriate advanced radiotherapeutic modalities for a presented clinical case and justify their choice; - Evaluate the impact of different radiobiological factors on patients' outcomes (tumour control and normal tissue side effects); - Prepare a radiotherapy treatment plan using an intensity-modulated technique and critically evaluate its suitability for clinical use. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Washington, Charles M., Dennis T. Leaver, and Megan Trad. Washington & Leaver's Principles and Practice of Radiation Therapy. 5th ed.. Elsevier, 2021. Print. - M. C. Joiner, A. J. van der Kogel (2018). Basic Clinical Radiobiology 5th Edition. CRC Press. - SJ Frank, XR Zhu (2020). Proton Therapy: Indications, Techniques and Outcomes 1st Edition. Elsevier. This study-unit covers the most innovative radiotherapy techniques, equipment, and modalities. Due to the fast evolution of these techniques, no literature covers all these relevant methods in a single publication. Reading material will be provided to the student by the lecturers. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study & Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Sara Rosas Kristina Caruana Jose Guilherme Couto (Co-ord.) Susan Mercieca Gerbert Van Dijk |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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