The purpose of radiation therapy is tumor control. In view of clonogen proliferation it makes sense to deliver the necessary dose in as short a time as possible, and as well-targeted as possible. The limiting factor in tumor treatment is normal tissue reaction: normal tissue reactions must not exceed """"""""tolerance"""""""" level. The development and application of high technology particularly in computers and computer based and assisted imaging has stimulated great progress in tumor localization and treatment planning, and even in the technology of delivery and its quality assurance, i.e., the spatial aspects of the issue. Decision-making as to the amount of dose and its distribution over time (by fractionation or protraction) is still essentially empirical, however. The present project continues the development and exploration of a theoretical description of time-dose response of tumors as well as normal tissues. Our work concentrates on extension and application of the Linear-Quadratic model. Currently, efforts are concentrating on the feasibility of deriving several tumor characteristic parameters from local/regional control probability data from a series of clinical fractionation studies.
