Linear accelerators, brachytherapy, treatment planning, dose units, simulation, side effects by site and radiation oncology safety.
40 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- What technology does a medical linear accelerator (linac) use to accelerate electrons to high energy?
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High-frequency microwaves in a waveguide- What metal target do accelerated electrons strike inside a linac to produce therapeutic x-rays?
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Tungsten- In a linac, accelerated electrons striking a target produce x-rays through what interaction?
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Bremsstrahlung (braking radiation)- What linac component uses individually movable tungsten leaves to shape the treatment field?
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Multileaf collimator (MLC)- What radiation therapy technique varies beam intensity across many small beamlets to conform dose tightly to a tumor shape?
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Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)- What technique delivers IMRT-like dose modulation while the gantry rotates continuously around the patient?
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Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT)- What is the general term for placing a sealed radioactive source directly inside or next to a tumor?
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Brachytherapy- What brachytherapy technique inserts an empty applicator first, confirms its position, then loads the radioactive source afterward?
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Afterloading- What radioactive isotope is most commonly used for high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy?
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Iridium-192- What radioactive isotope is commonly implanted as permanent seeds for prostate brachytherapy?
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Iodine-125- Why does HDR brachytherapy expose staff to less radiation than older manual techniques?
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The source is loaded and removed by a remote afterloader, so staff never handle it directly- What type of applicator set is commonly used for intracavitary gynecologic brachytherapy?
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Tandem and ovoid (or tandem and cylinder) applicator- What term describes the visible or palpable extent of a tumor seen on imaging or exam?
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Gross tumor volume (GTV)- What target volume adds a margin around the GTV to cover suspected microscopic tumor spread?
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Clinical target volume (CTV)- What target volume adds a margin around the CTV to account for daily setup variation and organ motion?
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Planning target volume (PTV)
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