Understanding Radiation Biology

Dr. K. H. Chadwick, now retired, worked as a research scientist in the Netherlands before moving to Belgium to manage research contracts on radiation biological effects in the Euratom Radiation Protection Research Programme of the European Commission in Brussels. He also served on the editorial board of the Journal for Radiological Protection for 10 years and is a fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInst P) and the Society for Radiological Protection (FSRP).

“This is a textbook on the understanding of radiation biology, which covers the basic principles governing the action of radiation on living matter. The book is well organized and easy to read. It is designed as an alternative or even complementary to other established books in the fields of radiation biology, radiotherapy, and radiological protection. Moreover, the plethora of mathematical formulas provided makes it easy to translate the presented theoretical concepts into practical tools in the clinic. The contents of the book correlate well with the required topics in preparation for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) board examinations.The most common aspects of radiation biology have successfully been addressed and presented in a way that satisfies the educational and practical goals of the book. The findings of more recent studies have been included. The book also expands to new fields such as ultraviolet light and genotoxicology. The book covers all the necessary theory, examples, and formulas that are useful to radiation biologists, radiation oncology physicians, and medical physicists (professionals and residents). The reference list at the end of the book is a great resource for individuals who want to further expand their literature investigation. This book is primarily designed to cover the needs of radiation biologists, radiation oncology physicians, and medical physicists. It can also be a useful reference for medical dosimetrists and therapy technologists. For faculty and established practitioners, it can serve as a great supplemental resource for dealing with radiation biology problems in the classroom or clinic.The book presents a coherent, quantitative, and qualitative theory of radiation biology, which has been developed and expanded over the years from the 1970s to present. It follows a practical approach providing the mathematical formulas that would allow for an intuitive implementation of the theoretical concepts in the clinic. It can help biologists and radiation oncology and medical physics residents build their background knowledge and understanding of why and how things happen in the clinical environment. Furthermore, it can serve as a quick and comprehensive review of the basic principles and concepts in the field of radiation biology. I recommend this textbook as a teaching tool for biology and medical physics training programs as well as for radiation oncology and medical physics residency programs.”—Panayiotis Mavroidis, PhD (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) in Doody’s Core Titles Review 2022.

• PART I: Ionising Radiation Effects. 1. The Molecular Model and DNA Double Strand Breaks. 2. The Molecular Model for Cellular Effects. 3. The Link from Molecular Lesion to Cellular Effects. 4. DNA Double Strand Breaks and Chromosomal Aberrations. 5. The Effect of Dose Rate, Fractionation and Post-Irradiation Repair. 6. Radiation Quality. 7. Radiation-Induced Cancer. 8. Radiation-Induced Lethality. 9 Radiological Protection. PART II: Ultraviolet Light Effects. 10. The Molecular Model for the Cytotoxic Action of UV Light. PART III: Genotoxicology. 11. An Assessment of the Risk of Chemical Mutagens.