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Report No. 050 - Fetal Dose from Radiotherapy with Photon Beams (1995)

Category: Reports

Approximately 4000 women per year in the United States require radiotherapy during pregnancy. This report presents data and techniques that allow the medical physicist to estimate the radiation dose the fetus will receive and to reduce this dose with appropriate shielding. Out-of-beam data are presented for a variety of photon beams, including cobalt-60 gamma rays and x rays from 4 to 18 MV. Designs for simple and inexpensive to more complex and expensive types of shielding equipment are described. Clinical examples show that proper shielding can reduce the radiation dose to the fetus by 50%. In addition, a review of the biological aspects of irradiation enables estimates of the risks of lethality, growth retardation, mental retardation, malformation, sterility, cancer induction, and genetic defects to the fetus. Consultants:Robert J. Shalek

https://doi.org/10.37206/49
ISBN: 978-1-563964-53-4

Keywords: Radiation Therapy, Fetus, Fetal Dose, Photon Beams, Radiation Safety
Radiation Therapy Committee Task Group #36

Marilyn Stovall, Charles Robert Blackwell, Jackson Cundiff, Devorah H. Novack, Jatinder R. Palta, Louis K. Wagner, Edward W. Webster, Robert J. Shalek



Committee Responsible: Radiation Dosimetry & Treatment Planning Subcommittee

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