Technical Innovations & Patient Support in Radiation Oncology (Jun 2024)
The Radiation Therapist profession through the lens of new technology: A practice development paper based on the ESTRO Radiation Therapist Workshops
- Michelle Leech,
- Alaa Abdalqader,
- Sophie Alexander,
- Nigel Anderson,
- Barbara Barbosa,
- Dylan Callens,
- Victoria Chapman,
- Mary Coffey,
- Maya Cox,
- Ilija Curic,
- Jenna Dean,
- Elizabeth Denney,
- Maeve Kearney,
- Vincent W.S. Leung,
- Martina Mortsiefer,
- Eleftheria Nirgianaki,
- Justas Povilaitis,
- Dimitra Strikou,
- Kenton Thompson,
- Maud van den Bosch,
- Michael Velec,
- Katrina Woodford,
- Monica Buijs
Affiliations
- Michelle Leech
- Applied Radiation Therapy Trinity, Discipline of Radiation Therapy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Dublin, Ireland; Corresponding author.
- Alaa Abdalqader
- Burjeel Medical City, UAE, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Sophie Alexander
- The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, United Kingdom
- Nigel Anderson
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre - Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia
- Barbara Barbosa
- Escola Internacional de Doutoramento, Universidad de Vigo, Spain; Medical Physics, Radiobiology and Radiation Protection Group, IPO Porto Research Center (CI-IPOP), Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center (Porto.CCC) & Rise@CI-IPOP (Health Research Network), Porto, Portugal
- Dylan Callens
- University Hospital Leuven, Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Laboratory of Experimental Radiotherapy, Leuven, Belgium
- Victoria Chapman
- Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Mary Coffey
- Applied Radiation Therapy Trinity, Discipline of Radiation Therapy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Maya Cox
- Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
- Ilija Curic
- Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Radiotherapy Department, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
- Jenna Dean
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre - Austin Health, Heidelberg, Australia
- Elizabeth Denney
- Universitätsspital Zürich. ETH, Zürich, Switzerland
- Maeve Kearney
- Applied Radiation Therapy Trinity, Discipline of Radiation Therapy, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute, Dublin, Ireland
- Vincent W.S. Leung
- Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
- Martina Mortsiefer
- Siemens Healthineers, Forchheim, Germany
- Eleftheria Nirgianaki
- General Anti-Cancer Hospital “Agios Savvas”, Athens, Greece
- Justas Povilaitis
- The Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences Kauno klinikos, Kaunas, Lithuania
- Dimitra Strikou
- Radiation Oncology Unit, University and General Attikon Hospital, Athens, Greece
- Kenton Thompson
- Department of Radiation Therapy Services, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
- Maud van den Bosch
- MAASTRO Clinic, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Michael Velec
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Katrina Woodford
- Department of Radiation Therapy Services, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
- Monica Buijs
- InHolland Haarlem, University of Applied Science, Haarlem, the Netherlands
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 30
p. 100243
Abstract
Technological advances in radiation therapy impact on the role and scope of practice of the radiation therapist. The European Society of Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) recently held two workshops on this topic and this position paper reflects the outcome of this workshop, which included radiation therapists from all global regions.Workflows, quality assurance, research, IGRT and ART as well as clinical decision making are the areas of radiation therapist practice that will be highly influenced by advancing technology in the near future. This position paper captures the opportunities that this will bring to the radiation therapist profession, to the practice of radiation therapy and ultimately to patient care.
