The section continues to provide expert physical and technological support for radiation treatment, consisting of routine calibration, quality assurance and first-line maintenance of all radiation producing and ancillary equipment. It includes special dosimetry studies, computer- assisted treatment planning, patient monitoring and the design and development of special equipment tailored to developing clinical needs. Diodes are now in routine clinical use for the verification of patient doses and exhibit an accuracy of +/- 3%. A new commercial treatment planning system (Varian Eclipse) has been commissioned and integrated with the new Record-and-Verify system which has advanced system capable of controlling the delivery of dynamic IMRT radiotherapy as well as providing the department with a DICOM-RT based image management system. A new Nucletron HDR high dose rate brachytherapy delivery system with separate treatment planning has been obtained through a CRADA and has been commissioned for clinical use. Finally, a significant upgrade to the stereotactic radiosurgery treatment planning system has been installed and commissioned. Planning has completed for the departmental move to the new Clinical Research Center, afterwiich the existing department will be rennovated to establish the ROMAT facility. A new research level biophysicist has been recruited and is expected to start in the Spring of """"""""04.
