Publications by authors named "N A Maughan"
Article Synopsis
- - This study focuses on identifying potential failure modes in the administration of radiopharmaceutical therapies (RPTs) like DOTATATE (LUTATHERA) and PSMA-617 (PLUVICTO) through failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and fault tree analysis (FTA) methods, emphasizing the need for collaboration between nuclear medicine and radiation oncology departments.
- - A literature review and FMEA survey conducted across multiple centers revealed critical failure areas such as non-optimized treatment delivery, inadequate patient monitoring, and insufficient safety training, leading to risks of radiation contamination.
- - The study concludes by highlighting the importance of improving quality management practices in RPTs to enhance treatment safety, while also advocating for more prospective risk analysis
Article Synopsis
- Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) can lead to complications that require a quick hospital response, but staff often lack training in radiation safety precautions.
- A specialized team created a protocol to handle patient emergencies during RPT, focusing on stabilizing the patient, reducing staff radiation exposure, and preventing contamination spread.
- Modifications were made to the hospital's rapid response protocol, assigning team roles and developing a quick-reference card for responders to effectively manage these unique scenarios.
Radioembolization using Yttrium-90 ( Y) microspheres is widely used to treat primary and metastatic liver tumors. The present work provides minimum practice guidelines for establishing and supporting such a program. Medical physicists play a key role in patient and staff safety during these procedures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProstate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a cell surface protein highly expressed in nearly all prostate cancers, with restricted expression in some normal tissues. The differential expression of PSMA from tumor to non-tumor tissue has resulted in the investigation of numerous targeting strategies for therapy of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. In March of 2022, the FDA granted approval for the use of lutetium-177 PSMA-617 (Lu-177-PSMA-617) for patients with PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who have been treated with androgen receptor pathway inhibition and taxane-based chemotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is growing interest among pediatric institutions for implementing iodine-131 (I-131) meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) therapy for treating children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Due to regulations on the medical use of radioactive material (RAM), and the complexity and safety risks associated with the procedure, a multidisciplinary team involving radiation therapy/safety experts is required. Here, we describe methods for implementing pediatric I-131 MIBG therapy and evaluate our program's robustness via failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA).
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