Know Your Initialisms
120 of these movable tungsten alloy 'leaves' allow for unique beam shapes created within the Linear Accelerator gantry head.
What are MLCs?
This technique delivers beams shaped to the tumor from multiple directions while the gantry rotates continuously.
What is VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy)?
Low dose prophylactic radiation is administered to manage this disease process where bone tissue grows in abnormal locations, typically after trauma or surgery
What is Heterotopic Ossification (HO)?
the unit of absorbed dose in tissue which is used to quantify dosage in radiation oncology.
What is Gray (Gy)?
Joined Stanford in 2013. One of our original South Bay dosimetrists and our first teammate to contribute to the Africa Outreach project. He's our tallest team member and comes up with fantastic Halloween outfits most years with his young son!
Who is Jeff Sweetin?
This 3-letter acronym describes the software where dosimetrists contour, plan, and calculate dose distributions.
What is TPS (Treatment Planning System)?
This treatment technique, soon to be available at Stanford, uses heavy charged particles rather than photons, with a distinct Bragg peak advantage for OAR sparing.
What is proton therapy?
This Target expansion is used to capture clinical disease and subclinical disease with additional margin to account for daily setup variability.
What is "PTV" (Planning Target Volume)?
Albert Einstein won his 1921 Nobel Prize for his description and discovery of this photon interaction with matter. This process predominates with lower energy x-rays such as the ones captured in our daily localization kV x-rays resulting in higher contrast observed between bone and soft tissues.
What is the Photoelectric effect?
The Original Dosimetrist. This mother of two has been working in our department since the 1990's; she works very closely on the TBI and Breast services, and if you're lucky she may treat you to a fresh avocado from her family tree!
Who is Maria Vega?
This acronym refers to radiation given in one large dose, commonly used for brain or lung lesions, mostly treated using Cyberknife here at Stanford.
What is SRS (Stereotactic Radiosurgery)?
This tool allows a planner to 'tip' isodoses at depth relative to a treatment field - useful for 'cooling off' one area while 'heating up' another
What is a Wedge?
This grading system (a combination of two numbers) is used to describe the aggressiveness of prostate cancer based on histology.
What is Gleason score?
This German word translates to "braking" and describes a process by which radiation is produced as a charged particle slows down suddenly
What is Bremsstrahlung?
Joined in October of 2017. Father of two. Baker of delicious meat pies, and if you're lucky he might bring you some vegemite! Architect of numerous innovations, and planner in many special teams including Viewray, RefleXion, VMAT TBI, and more!
Who is Daniel Pham?
This powerful visual tool is used to graphically represent how radiation is distributed within specific patient structures (Targets, OARs, etc.)
What is DVH (Dose-Volume Histogram)?
This tool/technique is used to scale Monitor Units up or down within the Treatment Planning System in order to achieve a desired objective.
What is Normalization?
Leptomeningeal disease (LMD) is frequently treated with this complex radiotherapy technique, targeting a large volume within the patient's body.
What is CSI (Craniospinal Irradiation)?
This principle describes how radiation intensity decreases as the square of the distance from the source increases.
What is the Inverse Square Law?
This long-time Radiation Therapist will be onboarding as a full time Dosimetrist in late September of this year. He's very proficient in Yoga / body mechanics, and has contributed to many quality improvement projects as a therapist. We are very excited to welcome him to our team!
Who is Joshua Langer?
This flat panel detector extends directly from the Linac assembly, faces the Megavoltage beam when extended, and can be used either as a QA device, or to obtain a "port film" during treatment.
What is the EPID (Electronic Portal Imaging Device)?
This treatment technique allows a planner to create a non-divergent field edge without the need to introduce additional geometries (Collimator / Gantry / Couch) rotations. It is preferred over multi-isocenter solutions!
What is a Half Beam Block?
Collectively, these are the "4 R's" of Radiobiology:
What are repair, reoxygenation, repopulation, and redistribution?
This form of scattering in tissue predominates at the therapeutic energies we treat with. When a port film is taken, the dominance of this interaction creates images that have lower contrast as compared to a lower energy (kilovoltage) radiograph.
What is Compton Scattering?
Joined our team originally as a Locum team member to help support while we were ramping Viewray/RefleXion up. Now supports many lines of service as a full time employee: GYN HDR, Cyberknife, RefleXion, etc. He is well versed in history, is able to safely forage for wild flora, and is a snappy dresser!
Who is Chris Wohlers?