On the radiation quality characterization in radiation therapy: from linear energy transfer to experimental microdosimetry

Abstract

Radiation-induced biological damage is primarily characterized by the average dose absorbed by the tissue. Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that other parameters, collectively constituting ”radiation quality,” play a crucial role in this context. However, defining and characterizing the radiation quality in radiotherapy to assess the radiobiological damage remains an open challenge. The most commonly used approach to quantify the radiation quality, the Linear Energy Transfer (LET), reveals many flaws in its applications. Microdosimetry represents an alternative approach that has been developed in the last decades and is considered a more accurate description of the radiation quality. Both approaches are explored, each with its inherent limitations and promising potential.