CAP Lecture 2012: Up close and personal radiation treatments for cancer

Presenter: Dr. Rowan Thomson
Department of Physics, Carleton University

Abstract:

Radiation therapy is widely used for cancer treatment. From teletherapies to short distance therapies, all radiation treatments aim to maximize tumour cell kill while limiting healthy tissue radiation exposure. Sophisticated simulations using the Monte Carlo technique are used to model the passage of radiation through matter for these treatments and calculate dose, the energy deposited in tissue by radiation. This presentation will focus on the physics of "up close" radiation treatments for cancer, in particular, simulations of radiation treatments, dose calculations, and research aimed at personalizing treatments. Brachytherapy, a commonly used treatment for prostate, breast, and eye cancers, will be discussed. Emerging and prospective "up close" treatment methods including the delivery of radiation therapy via nanodevices will be presented.

Biography:

Rowan Thomson has a BSc Double Honours in Mathematics and Physics from Carleton University. Her graduate studies were in theoretical physics at the University of Waterloo and Perimeter Institute. Since completing her doctorate in 2007, her research has involved the development of computational techniques to study the interactions of radiation with matter and their applications in radiotherapy for cancer treatment. In 2010, she joined the faculty in the Department of Physics at Carleton University as an Assistant Professor. She was awarded Ontario's Polanyi Prize in Physics in 2011.