RadOnc Smart Review

Welcome back to Rad Onc Smart Review, where we break down the clinical decisions that matter most in radiation oncology. This is Episode six: Gastric Cancer Part one, covering Surgery and Perioperative Chemotherapy. Gastric cancer remains a major global health challenge. While less common in the United States, it’s the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, often because it's diagn...

This is Episode 05: Esophagus Part 4: NOM, Advanced Disease & Treatment Planning. This is our capstone episode on esophageal cancer. We’ve covered the fundamentals, the landmark trials, and the modern debates. Today, we bring it all together. We’ll explore the exciting frontier of non-operative management, clarify the algorithm for using immunotherapy in advanced disease, and then roll up our...

This is Episode 04: Esophagus Part 3: The Dose Escalation & Adjuvant IO Debates. In our last episode, we laid the foundation with the landmark trials establishing neoadjuvant and definitive chemoradiation. But a key principle in oncology is to always ask: can we do better? Today, we tackle the controversies and innovations that have attempted to improve upon those standards. We’ll dissect the...

This is Episode 03: Esophagus Part 2: Neoadjuvant & Definitive CCRT.In our last episode, we laid the groundwork for esophageal cancer management. Now, we move to the heart of the matter: how we treat locally advanced disease. This episode is all about the landmark trials that defined the role of chemoradiation. We'll dissect the two pillars of modern esophageal radiation oncology: RTOG eighty-...

This is Episode 02: Esophagus Part 1: Anatomy, Staging & Surgical Options. Getting the fundamentals right in esophageal cancer is everything. It's a disease where anatomy dictates treatment fields, staging dictates modality, and surgical approach dictates potential toxicities. Today, we'll build that crucial foundation, covering the anatomy and workup that drive our initial decisions, the nuan...

Welcome back to Rad Onc Smart Review, G.I. Oncology Edition. This is Episode 01: GI Principles: Re-RT, Toxicity, & Contouring Rare Sites. Before we dive deep into specific GI malignancies, we’re going to build a strong foundation. This episode covers four high-yield topics that cut across multiple disease sites: re-irradiation of the pelvis, management of chronic radiation proctitis, contourin...

Welcome back to Rad Onc Smart Review! This is Episode 39C in our special series on Radiobiology Calculations. Today, we’re tackling the mathematics that underpins the very foundation of modern radiation therapy: fractionation. Why do we give many small doses of radiation instead of one big one? The answer lies in the numbers, and mastering these calculations is essential for both your board exams...

Welcome back to Rad Onc Smart Review! This is Episode 39B, the second installment of our special series on Radiobiology Calculations. Today, our focus is on Tumor Control & Kinetics. In our last episode, we mastered the calculations for cell survival on a microscopic level. Now, we're scaling up to the macroscopic world of clinical tumors. We'll start by calculating the massive radiation doses...

Welcome back to Rad Onc Smart Review! This is Episode 39A, and the first in our special series on Radiobiology Calculations. In this episode, Calculations 1: Quantifying Cell Survival, we're moving beyond concepts and getting our hands dirty with the numbers. We'll start with the foundational laboratory data from clonogenic assays and walk step-by-step through calculating Plating Efficiency and Su...

Today, we're doing a rapid-fire, high-yield review of the absolute must-know concepts, formulas, and numbers for your board exams. We'll move quickly through seven key domains, from fundamental physics to advanced modalities and safety guidelines. Let's begin.

Welcome back to our deep dive on the core principles of radiation physics. This is Part B of our comprehensive physics review. In Part A, we built the foundation, exploring everything from the atom and radioactive decay to the complex machines that generate our clinical beams. Exactly. We covered the "what" of radiation. Now, in this episode, we're going to cover the "how." We'll see how we measur...

Part 2 of physics overview

Physics overview touching a little of every topic...work in progress.

This is our final episode focused purely on calculations! We've journeyed from basic decay to complex Monitor Unit calculations. Today, we hit the advanced scenarios: What happens when the beam hits lung or bone? How do we compare radically different fractionation schemes biologically? How does modern brachytherapy dosimetry really work with TG 43? And finally, the essential math for keeping every...

Welcome back to Radiation Oncology Smart Review – Calculation Toolkit Episode 17C: Dose Divers and Electron Escapades. Last time, we calibrated our detectors and nailed Monitor Unit calculations for standard setups. Now, we follow the dose after it leaves the machine head. Today, we'll master transferring dose between different depths using Percent Depth Doses and Tissue Maximum Ratios, untangle t...

Welcome back to Radiation Oncology Smart Review – Episode 17 part B: Dosimetry Detectives and Chamber Charades. Last time, we tackled the ticking clocks of decay and permanent implants. Today, we put on our detective hats to investigate how we actually measure radiation and make sure the right dose goes to the right place. We’ll decode the secrets of ion chambers and their sneaky temperature-press...

Welcome back to Radiation Oncology Smart Review – the targeted prep for your radiation oncology boards! I’m your guide, diving deep into the calculations that matter. This is Episode 17a of our Calculation Toolkit series, titled Radiation Oncology Calculations 1: Half-Lives and Seed Sleuths. Today we’ll master three bread-and-butter RAPHEX problem families: first, radioactive decay and time-activi...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series for our concluding episode! In P16b, we explored the crucial planning modalities of CT and MRI. Today, in Episode P16c: PET & Ultrasound Physics for RadOnc, we round out our imaging tour by looking at two other important technologies: Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which gives us insights into metabolic function, and Ultrasound (US),...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! In P16a, we covered the crucial principles of radiation protection and the regulations governing our field. Now, in Episode P16b: CT & MRI Physics for RadOnc, we dive into the physics behind the two imaging modalities most fundamental to treatment planning: Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). How do they create...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! We've explored how radiation is produced, how it interacts, how we measure it, plan treatments, and ensure quality. Now, we circle back to a fundamental responsibility: radiation safety. In Episode P16a: Radiation Protection & Regulations, we'll review the types of radiation effects, the quantities used to measure risk (Dose Equivalent, E...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! In E15a, we covered brachytherapy sources and TG-43 dose calculations. In P15b, we looked at clinical applications and planning systems. Now, in our final brachytherapy episode, P15c: Brachytherapy QA, Safety & Regulations, we focus on arguably the most critical aspect: ensuring these procedures are performed safely and accurately, protec...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! In P15a, we laid the groundwork for brachytherapy, focusing on the radioactive sources, how their strength is quantified using Air Kerma Strength (SK), and the details of the TG-43 dose calculation formalism. Now, in Episode P15b: Brachytherapy Applications, Systems & Planning Concepts, we'll explore how these sources are actually used cl...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! We've thoroughly covered external beam therapy. Now, we're shifting gears dramatically to explore treatments where the radiation source is placed inside or very close to the target. In Episode P15a: Brachytherapy Physics - Sources, Strength & Dose Calculation, we'll introduce the common radioactive isotopes used, discuss how their strengt...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! In 14a, we explored the world of electron beams. Now, in Episode 14b: Proton Therapy Physics & Planning, we turn to the heavyweights: protons. Protons offer a unique dose deposition pattern, the Bragg peak, which allows for potentially superior sparing of normal tissues distal to the target. We'll delve into the physics behind proton inte...

Welcome back to the RadOnc Smart Review Physics Series! After exploring advanced photon techniques like IMRT, VMAT, and SRS/SBRT, we're now switching particle types. In Episode P14a: Electron Beam Physics & Planning, we focus entirely on the clinical workhorse for treating shallow targets: the electron beam. We'll examine its unique depth dose characteristics, how its shape changes with depth,...