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RadPro 365 Live News-Zone for March 2020

News-Zone Focus

Innovations in Radiotherapy

Our leading monthly industry profile of the latest innovative products and services in radiotherapy.

With ESTRO 2020 postponed and UKIO 2020 cancelled why not invest in a virtual exhibition stand in the RadPro 365 Live Expo, our innovative, international corporate directory for companies and organisations working in radiotherapy.

Pic: Example virtual exhibition stand for Hynd Healthcare

RadPro 365 Live is an extremely cost-effective way to access international radiotherapy professionals especially in an era of carbon footprints, health concerns and travel disruption! Email admin@RadPro.eu for more information or go to our Expo page

Social Media Spotlight

Tweets of the Month

We highlight some of the most popular and interesting tweets of the month from partners, just click on the tweet to go directly to their live feed.

PTW is on LinkedIn
PTW are working to present products and solutions to customers in digital format to stay connected in the current health crisis. Read more here

News-Zone comment and analysis

Monthly Blog

A radiographer’s life. A 40-year career in radiotherapy.

The March blog written for RadPro by Duncan Hynd DCR(t)

“A mask tells us more than a face.” ― Oscar Wilde

It’s common belief that the quote “A mask tells us more than a face” refers to the fact that a mask can disguise us, change our appearance and allow us to become something or someone else and this potential to make us more confident really does apply to the radiotherapy immobilisation mask.

For most head and neck cases, an immobilisation mask means that as a patient we can be confident and relaxed that we are being treated in the correct position. For young children it gives additional reassurance and a comfort blanket that they are being assisted by a friend or hero to undergo treatment that otherwise they might not be able to endure.

Question of the month

NHS England has launched a 30-day consultation on the use of external beam radiotherapy for patients presenting with hormone sensitive, low volume metastatic prostate cancer at the time of diagnosis.

The proposal is that this form of radiotherapy is recommended to be available as a treatment option for this indication, as set out within the criteria in the policy proposition.
A final decision will made by NHS England following a recommendation from the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group.
What are your views? See more

Did you know?

Deep learning is a subset of machine learning. It refers to using multi-layered neural networks to process data in increasingly sophisticated ways, enabling the software to train itself to perform tasks like speech and image recognition through exposure to these vast amounts of data for continual improvement in the ability to recognize and process information. Layers of neural networks stacked on top of each for use in deep learning are called deep neural networks.

Editor’s comment

A therapeutic radiographer paradox
I was reading with interest an article published this month whereby a West-Midlands based NHS Trust are being “innovative and proactive” in finding ways to manage a shortage of clinical oncologists.

The solution is to appoint consultant therapeutic radiographers who work with the local MDT but also spend their time attending regional and national meetings, conferences and specialist groups.
Another article in the same publication presciently asks in a Q and A forum whether advanced clinical practice might become a “sticking plaster” to essentially patch gaps in the NHS?
This seems to me to be a concerning paradox whereby in an era of therapeutic radiographer shortages and a worrying lack of students completing radiotherapy courses we are in fact using radiographers to plug gaps higher up the NHS food chain. While I am fully supportive of advanced practice, I would like to hear a lot more about successfully fixing the issues at the grass roots of our profession that I have been involved in for almost 40 years and very much care about.
If you want to comment about this please email admin@RadPro.eu go to our twitter feed @RadProwebsite or you can catch up on previous relevant issues of our blog here

RadPro TV

What we’re watching. We showcase selected videos of interest to our readers in radiotherapy from our partners.

IntraOp demonstrates Superficial Electron Therapy for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancers.
Hospital-grade therapy delivered in the convenience of your local dermatology clinic.
Watch here

UK and World News

What we’re reading from partner companies in radiotherapy

Elekta named a silver winner of the 2020 Edison awards. Elekta Unity MR-Linac chosen as a winner by a global panel of over 3,000 leading business executives. Read more.

Oslo University Hospital, home to one of the world’s largest cancer clinics, adopts RayStation for use at Norway’s first national proton therapy center. RaySearch Laboratories announces that Oslo University Hospital has awarded a significant tender for treatment planning system RayStation for photon therapy as well as for use at Norway’s first national proton therapy center. Read more

Queensland’s Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital selects RayStation from RaySearch to plan for Varian treatment machines. RaySearch Laboratories announces that Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital has entered a new era of cancer treatment by replacing its former photon planning system with treatment planning system RayStation. Read more

What we’re reading in the press and international media, some selected thought-provoking stories:

New- Opinion RT Poll

This new section allows you to comment on a current news item in radiotherapy.

Doctors tell patients to delay cancer treatment in case they catch coronavirus in hospital.

NHS England is telling doctors to group their cancer patients into 'priority levels' according to how crucial or effective their treatment is going to be, as coronavirus causes a delay to treatment.
Doctors have been told by NHS England to prepare for a 'disruption of services' in cancer units over the next few weeks due to staff sickness and shortages of drugs and equipment. They have been advised to group their patients into 'priority levels' according to how crucial or effective the treatment is likely to be.
Anyone whose chemotherapy or radiotherapy is expected to save their life – rather than just extend it or reduce symptoms – should be a priority one or two. Patients needing emergency surgery will also be in these top two categories.
But those whose chemotherapy or radiotherapy is being used to extend their lives or just reduce symptoms should be put in a priority level of four to six. Patients needing surgery but who can wait ten to 12 weeks with 'no predicted negative outcome' should be priority three.
Read more

Opinion RT is part of our new YouRad opinion poll and survey site where we ask what the radiotherapy world thinks. This month we ask:
Should we prioritise radiotherapy treatment for patients due to the coronavirus in the NHS?
In the private sector, patients pay for radiotherapy and so should they get priority treatments if they are paying more?
You can take part in this poll and also leave comments too here.

Other news:
Scan that lets doctors see live video of the cancer they're zapping. In England alone, 134,000 radiotherapy 'episodes' are delivered each year. Professor Pat Price explained how the new MRIdian machine could improve the accuracy of radiotherapy treatment. Read here.

Artificial Intelligence Greatly Speeds Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning. Commercially available machine learning technology cuts planning down from days to just minutes. Read here.

Amy Jayne Aesthetics in Rainham offers free radiotherapy spots removal treatment for breast cancer patients. Many breast cancer survivors are not aware that their radiation markers are in fact tattoos. Read here.

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