3D Printing in Radiation Oncology: Personalization of Patient Treatment Through Digital Fabrication

3D Printing in Radiation Oncology: Personalization of Patient Treatment Through Digital Fabrication presents a comprehensive and practical view of the many forms in which 3D printing is being integrated into radiation oncology practice. Radiation oncology employs among the most sophisticated digital technologies in medicine. Until recently, however, the ＂last mile＂ of treatment has required manually produced or generic devices for patient set up, positioning, control of surface dose, and delivery of brachytherapy treatment. 3D printing is already offering enhancements in both precision and efficiency through the digital design and fabrication of patient photon and electron bolus, customized surface and gynecological brachytherapy applicators, proton beam compensators and range shifters, patient immobilization, novel radiation detectors, and phantoms. Various innovations are disrupting decades-old practices in radiation therapy (RT) facilities, resulting in vital improvements in personalization of treatment and patient experience.

An essential read for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, oncology nurses, hospital administrators, engineers, and medical educators, this book is an indispensable resource for those bringing 3D printing to the RT clinic, looking to expand the role of 3D printing in their practice, or embarking upon related research and development.

James L. Robar, PhD, FCCPM is a globally recognized medical physicist, the Chief of Medical Physics at Nova Scotia Health, a professor of radiation oncology at Dalhousie University and a specialist in the high technology of radiotherapy-- a treatment technique used for roughly half of all patients with cancer. He is also co-founder and CSO at Adaptiiv Medical Technologies, a medical-tech firm in Halifax, with the mission of improving the accuracy of cancer treatment. As a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur, Dr. Robar has pioneered multiple advancements improving imaging and treatment delivery for radiotherapy. These technologies include enhanced imaging to improve the accuracy of targeting tumors with radiation, hardware and software detecting submillimeter motion of patients to improve the precision of treatment, planning algorithms to provide improved sparing of healthy tissues and organs, and turnkey solutions allowing intelligent design of 3D printed, patient-specific accessories used during radiotherapy. For his contributions in this field, he became a Canadian Governor General’s Innovation Laureate in 2021.