La fisica delle radiazioni e le sue applicazioni alla terapia medica

Radiation therapy is an example of the successful application of advanced physics to the treatment of human disease leading to improved quality of life and even cure for many patients. The German physicist William Roentgen (1845-1923), who discovered x-rays in 1895 and pioneered early x-ray applications, would likely be astonished if he could see the breadth and depth of their application in the modern hospital setting. This article gives an overview of some modern applications of high energy radiation beams in therapeutic medicine and the underlying physics which forms the basis of their curative effects.