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LOWELL LEONARD ANDERSON

Occupation: Medical physicist specializing in brachytherapy

Born: 3 September 1930 in Spokane, Washington

Education: Whitworth College, 1953, B. S. (Physics), Spokane, WA

University of Rochester, 1958, Ph. D. (Biophysics), Rochester, NY

Certification: American Board of Radiology, 1981, in Radiological Physics

Career:

Lowell Anderson received his PhD degree in biophysics from the University of Rochester in 1958. After an eleven-year appointment as biophysicist at Argonne National Laboratory, where he worked mainly on developing instrumentation for neutron dosimetry, he joined the Department of Medical Physics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York. At Memorial, because of his neutron dosimetry background he was selected to coordinate a contract with the Department of Energy to evaluate the use of 252Cf neutron sources in interstitial brachytherapy. That project led to his long-time interest and specialization in brachytherapy physics. Lowell was head of Brachytherapy Physics until his retirement in 1998. He is currently Member, Emeritus at MSKCC.

For nearly twenty years, Lowell served as the coordinator of a lecture course in medical radiation physics at MSKCC, and as a lecturer in basic radiation physics and in brachytherapy physics. Subsequently, he continued to give the lectures in brachytherapy physics. Participants in the course included MSK residents in radiation oncology and fellows in medical physics, as well as residents in radiology from Cornell University Medical College, where Lowell held an academic appointment. He also supervised a number of degree candidates and post-doctoral fellows in various brachytherapy physics research projects.

Lowell conducted an active program of research and development in brachytherapy physics. In the days before 3D imaging was available on which to base implant planning, he constructed nomographs to guide permanent implant procedures using 125I and 103Pd seeds and temporary implants of 192Ir seeds in ribbons. He performed or collaborated in dose distribution measurements for 137Cs, 192Ir, 125I, 103Pd and 252Cf sources. He developed least-squares optimization techniques for high-dose-rate (HDR) remote afterloading. He published a planning system for stereotactic temporary implants of brain tumors with high-strength 125I seeds, involving least-squares optimization of seed positions. He applied a variation of this system to surgical-deficit mold treatments. He conceived the idea for, and wrote the software to implement, a “natural” (-3/2 power) dose-volume histogram to assist implant design and evaluation. Finally, he directed the compilation of an extensive treatment-planning atlas for intraoperative HDR remote afterloading using quasi-planar, flexible-plastic applicators. He authored or co-authored 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals, as well as two books and 52 book chapters.

Selected Publications:

  1. ANDERSON LL. Cross section of copper-63 for nuclear accident dosimetry. Health Physics 1964; 10: 315-322.
  2. ANDERSON LL. Monoenergetic neutrons of intermediate energy; calibration facility design. Health Physics 1969; 16: 359-369.
  3. DJORDJEVIC B, ANDERSON LL, KIM SH. Oxygen enhancement ratios in HeLa cells irradiated with californium and radium sources. Radiology 1973; 107: 429-434.
  4. ANDERSON LL. Status of dosimetry for 252Cf medical neutron sources. Physics in Medicine and Biology 1973; 18: 779-799.
  5. ANDERSON LL. Spacing nomograph for interstitial implants of 125I seeds. Medical Physics 1976; 3: 48-51.
  6. ANDERSON LL, HILARIS BS, WAGNER LK. A nomograph for planar implant planning. Endocurietherapy/Hyperthermia Oncology 1985; 1: 9-15.
  7. ANDERSON LL. A "natural" volume-dose histogram for brachytherapy. Medical Physics 1986; 13: 898-903.
  8. ANDERSON LL, MONI JV, HARRISON LB. A nomograph for permanent implants of 103Pd seeds. Int J Radiation Oncology Biol Phys 1993; 27: 129-136.
  9. ANDERSON LL, HARRINGTON PJ, OSIAN AD, ARBIT E, LEIBEL SA, MALKIN MG. A versatile method for planning stereotactic brain implants. Medical Physics 1993; 20: 1457-1464.
  10. ANDERSON LL. Plan optimization and dose evaluation in brachytherapy. Seminars in Radiation Oncology 1993; 3: 290-300.
  11. ANDERSON LL, ZLOTOLOW IM, MCCORMICK B, HARRISON LB. Controlled mold geometry for surgical deficit treatment planning. Med Phys 1995; 22: 307-311.
  12. NATH R, ANDERSON LL, LUXTON G, WEAVER KA, WILLIAMSON JF, MEIGOONI AS. Dosimetry of interstitial brachytherapy sources: recommendations of the AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee No. 43. Med Phys 1995; 22: 209-234.
  13. ANDERSON LL, MICK FW, ZABROUSKI K, WATANABE Y. Photoelectrons facilitate autoradiography for 192Ir remote afterloaders. Med Phys 1995; 22: 1759-1761.
  14. ANDERSON LL, HOFFMAN MR, HARRINGTON PJ, STARKSCHALL G. Atlas generation for intraoperative high dose-rate brachytherapy. J Brachytherapy International 1997; 13: 333-340.
  15. FURHANG EE, ANDERSON LL. Functional fitting of interstitial brachytherapy dosimetry data recommended by the AAPM Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group 43. Med Phys 1999; 26: 153-160.

Awards:

1982 Henschke Memorial Lecturer, American Endocurietherapy Society (now American Brachytherapy Society)

1990 Kurt Sauerwein Award (for scientific contributions to high-dose-rate remote afterloading), Isotopen Technik Dr. Sauerwein GMBH

1999 Fellow, American Association of Physicists in Medicine

2000 Coolidge Award, American Association of Physicists in Medicine

AAPM Activities:

1992-1998, Certification Review Course, Brachytherapy Physics

Radiation Therapy Committee
1979-83 Member, Task Group 22, Brachytherapy
1984-87 Member, Task Group 32, Specification and Calibration of Brachytherapy Sources
1988-94 Member, Task Group 43, Dosimetry of Interstitial Brachytherapy Sources
1994-97 Member, Task Group 56, Code of Practice for Brachytherapy Physics
1997-99 Member, Task Group 64, Prostate Seed Implant Brachytherapy

Additional Professional Organization Activities:

Radiological Society of North America
1977-78 Refresher Course, Brachytherapy Techniques

American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
1993-94 Refresher Course, Brachytherapy Physics
1995-97 Refresher Course, Physics & Quality Assurance for High Dose Rate Brachytherapy

American Brachytherapy Society:
1986-90 Physics Committee, Chairman
1990-95 Board of Directors, Member
1991-98 Physics Committee, Member
1984-93 Journal of Brachytherapy International, Associate Editor
1994-99 Journal of Brachytherapy International, Editor
1999- Brachytherapy Journal, Member, Editorial Board