Author: Glossary
-
Primary dose
An initial, large dose given to provide a high blood level as soon as possible.
-
Percentage depth dose
In radiation therapy the ratio of the absorbed dose at a given depth to the absorbed dose at a fixed reference depth. It is dependent on four factors: energy, depth, field size, and source-to-skin distance.
-
Median lethal dose
The amount of a substance, bacterium, or toxin that will kill 50% of the animals exposed to it.
-
Median infective dose
An infective dose that causes disease in half the subjects exposed to it.
-
Median curative dose
A dose that cures half of all treated patients.
-
Mean marrow dose
An estimated measure of average radiation exposure given to the blood-forming progenitor cells of the bone marrow, e.g., in whole body radiation treatment. The percentage of active bone marrow in the useful beam is multiplied by the average absorbed dose.
-
Maximum permissible dose
The highest dose of radiation to which a person may be exposed over 1 year.
-
Maximum dose
The largest dose that is safe to administer.
-
Maintenance dose
The dose required to sustain a desired effect.
-
Infective dose
The number of infectious organisms, especially bacteria or viruses, that will cause disease in a healthy organism.