The Physics of Brachytherapy
I am researching the physics aspects of brachytherapy, one approach commonly used to treat prostate cancer by placing radioactive sources directly into or near the cancer to be treated. For my thesis, I am investigating the reasons why Iodine-125 has been chosen as source. This includes understanding how the electromagnetic radiation emitted by Iodine-125 interacts with and destroys cancer cells and how far it travels in the prostate. More generally I am studying how medical physicists calculate a precise radiation dose and how they determine the number of Iodine-125 seeds needed for an effective implantation.
Advisor: Professor Mark Semon
