This course will include 4 subsections including: 1) Brachytherapy dosimetry; 2) Brachytherapy clinical applications; 3) Radioprotection and patient’s safety; and 4) Patient workflow and radiation program management.
504.1 Brachytherapy dosimetry
Brachytherapy is a technique where a radioactive source is inserted into a body cavity or percutaneously to irradiate a tumor, limiting hence the tissue architecture destruction following surgical procedures. This lecture covers the radiation sources used in brachytherapy, historically, currently, and as well as potentially future sources. Historical systems and dose calculation algorithms, including the TG43 and TG186 formalism, will be detailed. This lectures also detail in vivo dosimetry applications.
504.2 Brachytherapy clinical applications
This course review applications of brachytherapy, including the patient’s workflow, US, CT or MRI image acquisition pre-implant or intra-operative planning, as well as the clinical outcomes of specific brachytherapy applications including H&N brachytherapy, partial breast brachytherapy, gynecology brachytherapy, and prostate brachytherapy. The lecture will end with a 4hour hands on brachytherapy dosimetry exercise.
504.3 Radioprotection and patient’s safety
Radiation safety standards from basic dose/response data will be discussed. Practical shielding calculations in a modern radiation therapy department will be discussed. Patient’s lifetime risk of secondary cancer will be demonstrated, using as example lowrisk breast cancer patients treated with various techniques.
504.4 Patient workflow and radiation program management
This lecture will present the evolution of patient’s workflow and care path and review how innovation in SBRT, IGRT and ART are complexifying beyond logic treatment processes. Starting from classical in room treatment start, to the introduction of CTsimulation, contouring and peer review. SBRT workflow, and its difference with standard workflow will be presented. The benefit and challenge of the current workflow with the introduction of IGRT will be highlighted. Possible solutions will be presented. The course will also review the evolution of manpower and training in radiation oncology. Finally, the course will present the basic device requirements needed to start-up a radiotherapy program.