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DNB Broad Specialty · Book Guide

Books for DNB Radiation Oncology.

The official NBE curriculum list, reproduced exactly, plus the editions residents actually read in 2026 — with recommended journals, a year-wise reading plan, and the references you'll need for your thesis and practical.

20Titles in the NBE list
10Current-edition picks
17Journals listed
3 yearsReading plan included
Official list

Books NBE lists in the DNB Radiation Oncology curriculum

These 20 titles are reproduced as they appear in the National Board of Examinations curriculum document for Radiation Oncology — spelling and abbreviations included. Treat this as the syllabus anchor.

  1. Liebelm and Philips text book of radiation oncology - Richard T Hoppe, Theodore Locke Philips, Mack Roach III
  2. Perez and Brady's Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology - Edward C Halperin, Carlos A Perez, Luther W Brady
  3. Cancer - Principles and Practice of Oncology - Vincent T De Vita Jr., Theodore S Lawarence, Steven A Rosenberg
  4. Clinical Radiation Oncology - Leonard L Gunderson, Joel E Tepper.
  5. Bethesda Handbook of Clinical Oncology by Carmen J Allegra, Jame Abraham, James L Gulley
  6. Handbook of evidence based radiation Oncology, Dr. Eric K Hansen, Dr. Mack Roach III.
  7. Moss's Radiation Oncology: Rational, Technique, Results (1994) William Thomas Moss, and James Daniel Cox.
  8. Text Book of Radiotherapy, Gilbert H Fletcher.
  9. Treatment planning in Radiation Oncology Faiz M Khan.
  10. Oxford Handbook of Oncology, Jim Cassidy, Donald Bissett, Roy A J Spence Obe.
  11. The Physics of Radiation Therapy: Mechanisms, Diagnosis and Management by Faiz M Khan.
  12. The Physics of Radiology, Haold Elford Johns, John Robert Cunningham.
  13. Radiobiology for the Radiologist 6th Edition, Eric J Hall.
  14. The Chemotherapy source Book 4th Edition, Michel C Perry.
  15. Text Book of Medical Oncology 4th edition, Franco Cavalli, Stan B Kaye, Heine H Hansen, James O Armitage
  16. Surgical Oncology: Contemporary principles and Practice, K. I. Bland, John M Daly, Constantine P Karakousis.
  17. Basic Clinical Radiobiology, Edited by G Gordon Steel
  18. Principles And Management of Cancer, Tejinder Kataria, Hemant Singhal, Dinesh Chand Doval
  19. Cancer Biology, Roger J.B. King, Mike W Robins
  20. Textbook of Radio Therapy by Dr Rath and Dr Mohanthy
Read this before you buy. NBE curriculum documents are revised infrequently, so several entries name editions that are now years out of date, and a few titles are out of print. Use this list to know what NBE expects you to have read, then buy the current edition listed in the next section.

Source: NBE DNB Radiation Oncology curriculum

What residents actually use

Current editions, and what each one is for

The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is something you read cover to cover, keep as a reference, or open only for the viva.

  1. Perez & Brady's Principles and Practice of Radiation OncologyHalperin, Wazer, Perez, Brady · 8th edition · core referenceThe site-wise encyclopedia residents consult before every tumour board and theory answer.
  2. Clinical Radiation OncologyGunderson, Tepper · 5th edition · core referenceMore readable than Perez for disease-site management and is widely used for exam preparation.
  3. Handbook of Evidence-Based Radiation OncologyEric K. Hansen, Mack Roach III · 3rd edition · practical handbookPocket book carried on rounds for doses, fractionation and landmark-trial recall.
  4. Khan's The Physics of Radiation TherapyFaiz M. Khan, John P. Gibbons · 6th edition · physics corePrimary physics text for the first-year physics paper and machine/QA viva.
  5. Khan's Treatment Planning in Radiation OncologyKhan, Gibbons, Sperduto · 5th edition · planning referenceBridges physics and clinical planning - 3DCRT, IMRT/VMAT, SBRT and brachytherapy planning viva.
  6. Radiobiology for the RadiologistEric J. Hall, Amato J. Giaccia · 8th edition · radiobiology coreStandard radiobiology text; the LQ model and fractionation chapters are exam staples.
  7. Basic Clinical RadiobiologyJoiner, van der Kogel · 5th edition · radiobiology supplementShort chapters used to consolidate alpha/beta, EQD2 and normal-tissue tolerance concepts.
  8. DeVita, Hellman, and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles & Practice of OncologyDeVita, Lawrence, Rosenberg · 12th edition · oncology referenceUsed for systemic therapy, multidisciplinary management and thesis background.
  9. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines (with ESMO and ICMR consensus documents)NCCN / ESMO / ICMR · current edition · guidelinesVersion-current guidelines drive actual protocol decisions and are expected in management answers.
  10. RTOG/NRG and ESTRO contouring consensus atlasesRTOG/NRG Oncology, ESTRO · current edition · contouring practiceDaily reference for target volume and OAR delineation, and for contouring stations in the practical exam.
Printed in our shop

Radiation Oncology books we print most often

These are the radiation oncology titles residents send us to print most often — the books that actually come through the shop, alongside the official list above.

We print files you send us. We do not host, sell or supply book PDFs — send us a file you are entitled to print and we print and bind it.

Journals

Journals NBE lists for Radiation Oncology

Journal club and the “recent advances” parts of the theory paper come from here. You do not need to read all of them — pick the two Indian journals and one international one and follow them properly.

International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, PhysicsAnnals of OncologyBritish Journal for CancerCA-A Cancer Journal for cliniciansCancerJournal of Clinical OncologyJournal of Cancer Research and therapeuticsMedscape OncologySeminars in OncologySeminars in Radiation OncologyThe LancetThe New England Journal of MedicineRadiotherapy and Oncology, ElsevierLancet Oncology-ElsevierActa OncologicaNature reviews Clinical OncologyNature Clinical Practice Oncology
Reading plan

What to read, and when

Three years is less time than it sounds. The order below is what works for most DNB Radiation Oncology residents — broad and readable first, reference-level later, revision and drilling last.

Year 1

Build the base

Build the basics: Khan's Physics and Hall's Radiobiology alongside anatomy/imaging for contouring, learn simulation and treatment set-up, and read Hansen & Roach for each site as it is posted; finalise the thesis protocol.

Year 2

Go deep, collect thesis data

Work through Gunderson & Tepper and Perez site by site with NCCN/ESMO guidelines and the landmark trials, start brachytherapy hands-on, present journal club from IJROBP and JCO, and run thesis accrual.

Year 3

Revise, drill, submit

Revise site-wise management and trials, practise contouring and planning under time, revisit physics and radiobiology for the viva, complete the thesis, and rehearse multidisciplinary case presentations.

Thesis

References for your thesis

Protocol, methodology and reporting standards examiners expect you to have followed.

  • ICRU Reports 50, 62, 83 (photon planning) and ICRU 89 (cervix brachytherapy)
  • QUANTEC and HyTEC papers for normal-tissue dose constraints
  • ICMR National Ethical Guidelines (2017) and institutional ethics committee approval
  • CTCAE v5.0 and RTOG/EORTC late morbidity scoring for toxicity endpoints
  • RECIST 1.1 (and PERCIST where PET-based) for response assessment
  • CONSORT / STROBE checklists; Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression in SPSS or R
Practical & viva

What the practical actually tests

Books and material specifically useful for the clinical, spotter and viva stations.

  • Contouring and plan evaluation station - DVH interpretation, plan comparison, RTOG/ESTRO atlases
  • Brachytherapy: intracavitary cervix applications (Point A vs volumetric, ICRU 89), interstitial and intraluminal
  • Machine and QA viva: linac components, MLC, portal/cone-beam imaging, TLD/ion chamber dosimetry, TG-51/IAEA TRS-398
  • Simulation and immobilisation, CT-sim, image registration and motion management (4DCT, gating)
  • Radiation protection: AERB regulations, bunker design, emergency procedures for sealed sources
  • Landmark trials by site - design, dose and outcome for cervix, head and neck, breast, lung
  • Emergencies: SVC obstruction, cord compression, haemorrhage - palliative fractionation schedules
Frequently asked

DNB Radiation Oncology books — questions

Which books should I read for DNB Radiation Oncology?

The titles on this page are the ones residents and departments actually use, each with the edition in circulation now. Start with the first one listed and add the references as your reading deepens.

Which single book should I start with in first year of DNB Radiation Oncology?

Perez & Brady's Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology by Halperin, Wazer, Perez, Brady is the usual anchor. The site-wise encyclopedia residents consult before every tumour board and theory answer.

Are the editions listed here current?

Yes — we list the edition in circulation now for each title. Editions move quickly, so confirm the current one before you buy or print.

Do I need to buy every book on the list?

No. Most residents own three or four and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.

Can you print these books for me?

We print from the PDF you send us. Send the file on WhatsApp with your page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.

How much does it cost to print a set of notes?

Black and white is 50 paise per page, colour is Rs 1 per page, and binding is Rs 40 per copy. A 400-page mixed set with binding usually works out around Rs 300 plus delivery.

Printing your DNB Radiation Oncology reading?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

Other specialties

Book guides for all 30 DNB broad specialties