Radiation Therapy Physics Quality Assurance and Management Practices in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: An Initial Pilot Survey in Six Countries and Validation Through a Site Visit.

Purpose: Our purpose was to assess physics quality assurance (QA) practices in less resourced radiation therapy (RT) centers to improve quality of care.

Methods And Materials: A preliminary study was conducted in 2020 of 13 select RT centers in 6 countries, and in 2021, our team conducted onsite visits to all the RT centers in Ghana, one of the countries from the initial survey. The RT centers included 1 private and 2 public institutions (denoted as Public-1 and Public-2).

Establishment of local diagnostic reference levels for CT colonography at a tertiary hospital.

Background: Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are an important metric in identifying abnormally high radiation doses in diagnostic examinations. National DRLs for CT colonography do not currently exist in South Africa, but there are efforts to collect data for a national DRL project.

Objectives: This study investigated radiation doses for CT colonography in adult patients at a large tertiary hospital in South Africa with the aim of setting local DRLs.

The application of gradient dose segmented analysis of in-vivo EPID images for patients undergoing VMAT in a resource-constrained environment.

The gamma analysis metric is a commonly used metric for VMAT plan evaluation. The major drawback of this is the lack of correlation between gamma passing rates and DVH values. The novel GDSA metric was developed by Steers et al.

Measured, calculated, and egs_brachy I-125 dose distributions in a gold plaque for retinoblastoma treatment.

Background: This study measured and calculated dose distributions around a unique gold plaque for whole-eye radiotherapy (to treat retinoblastoma). The applicator consists of a pericorneal ring attached to the four extraocular muscles and four legs, each loaded with I-125 seeds. They are inserted beneath the conjunctiva in-between each pair of muscles and attached anteriorly to the ring.

Bridging the Radiotherapy Education Gap in Africa: Lessons Learnt from the Cape Town Access to Care Training Programme Over the Past 5 Years (2015-2019).

The role of radiotherapy (RT) in cancer care is well described, with a clear correlation between access to radiotherapy and overall survival. Cancer mortality rates in Africa are substantially higher than those of the rest of the world, which may be partly attributed to lack of RT access and insufficient human resources. The Access to Care (A2C) Cape Town RT training programme was created in 2014 with the aim of supplementing practical RT training in the region, focusing on clinics moving from 2 to 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT).

Clinical Acceptability of Automated Radiation Treatment Planning for Head and Neck Cancer Using the Radiation Planning Assistant.

Purpose: Radiation treatment planning for head and neck cancer is a complex process with much variability; automated treatment planning is a promising option to improve plan quality and efficiency. This study compared radiation plans generated from a fully automated radiation treatment planning system to plans generated manually that had been clinically approved and delivered.

Methods And Materials: The study cohort consisted of 50 patients treated by a specialized head and neck cancer team at a tertiary care center.

Concrete density estimation of linac bunker walls using impact-echo testing.

Purpose: To estimate the concrete density of a newly constructed bunker using impact-echo testing prior to the installation of the linear accelerator.

Methods: A newly constructed bunker showed visible honeycombing after the removal of the construction formwork. Impact-echo testing, which is based on the propagation and reflection of elastic waves in solids, was applied to confirm the bunker shielding integrity.