COMP Report: An updated algorithm to estimate medical physics staffing levels for radiation oncology.

Purpose: Medical physics staffing models require periodic review due to the rapid evolution of technology and clinical techniques in radiation oncology. We present an update to a grid-based physics staffing algorithm for radiation oncology (originally published in 2012) that has been widely used in Canada over the last decade.

Materials And Methods: The physics staffing algorithm structure was modified to improve the clarity and consistency of input data.

Detection of opsonic antibodies against Enterococcus faecalis cell wall carbohydrates in immune globulin preparations.

Three different commercially available polyvalent immune globulins (IG) were investigated for the existence of antibodies against cell wall carbohydrates of four different E. faecalis serotypes (using a cell wall carbohydrate-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and whether these antibodies mediated opsonic killing (using an opsonic-killing assay). All three IG preparations contained antibodies against all four serotypes (CPS-A to CPS-D).

Poster - Thurs Eve-21: Experience with the Velocity(TM) pre-commissioning services.

As the first Canadian users of the Velocity™ program offered by Siemens, we would like to share our experience with the program. The Velocity program involves the measurement of the commissioning data by an independent Physics consulting company at the factory test cell. The data collected was used to model the treatment beams in our planning system in parallel with the linac delivery and installation.

Hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy using concomitant intensity-modulated radiotherapy boost technique for localized high-risk prostate cancer: acute toxicity results.

Purpose: To evaluate the acute toxicities of hypofractionated accelerated radiotherapy (RT) using a concomitant intensity-modulated RT boost in conjunction with elective pelvic nodal irradiation for high-risk prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: This report focused on 66 patients entered into this prospective Phase I study. The eligible patients had clinically localized prostate cancer with at least one of the following high-risk features (Stage T3, Gleason score >or=8, or prostate-specific antigen level >20 ng/mL).

A multicenter randomized trial of breast intensity-modulated radiation therapy to reduce acute radiation dermatitis.

Purpose: Dermatitis is a frequent adverse effect of adjuvant breast radiotherapy. It is more likely in full-breasted women and when the radiation is distributed nonhomogeneously in the breast. Breast intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is a technique that ensures a more homogeneous dose distribution.