X-rays pictures are a common fixture in the medical world and they are used daily. Radiation therapy is one of the major forms of treatment for cancer patients. This treatment can be either in the form of electron beams or photon beams, each of which penetrate the surface of the patient's skin in order to deposit energy onto the cancer cells to destroy the DNA structure and to stop reproduction cycle of the cells. It is a highly effective way of treating many different diseases and dramatically increases the chances of being cured of cancer. QA is essential for the safety of the patients.
Physicists are also responsible for determining doses which the patients receive from the radiation.
With this knowledge, they are able to plan treatments of radiation. For instance, they determine how many days of treatment need to give the required dose, where to point the beams, how many beams are needed to treat the whole area. This is called dosimetry. Investigating new therapy techniques and designing new equipment in order to treat patients more effectively are the major focuses of current research projects. KRCC is very focused on the research of material dosimetry in order to determine dosages more effectively.