The aim of this course is to provide advanced knowledge to meet the increasing need of radiation protection and safety of patients undergoing radiotherapy procedures.

 

The course will: 

- disseminate information on lessons learned from radiotherapy incidents and accidents that have occurred in the past 

- train participants in the critical aspects of radiotherapy safety learning and implementation

- train participants in methods for retrospective and prospective risk analysis in radiotherapy 

Radiotherapy has long been an effective way of treating cancer and it is estimated that 50-60% of patients with cancer would benefit from radiotherapy. Expanding radiotherapy into areas with limited current access has the potential to save a great number of lives, but it is mandatory that the expansion is done with safety in mind, considering the complexity of this high-technology treatment modality and the potential for serious consequences when something goes wrong. It is worth considering that there have been more deaths and early acute health effects due to radiation accidents in medical uses than due to any other source, including accidents at nuclear facilities. 
 

While there is a broad agreement by experts that radiotherapy is a very safe form of treatment, where more than 5 million treatments are delivered annually in the world, there is also recognition that safety measures need to be further progressed at several levels for this complex and rapidly developing medical specialty. The need to develop leadership in radiation safety in radiotherapy is acute. 
 

ICTP is a world renowned centre for training in physics and allied sciences and IAEA has developed lead in medical radiation protection. A program under the umbrella of both these organizations is expected to attract right talent and has potential to meet objectives of both organizations effectively.