Radiotherapy techniques in current use in Sweden

Abstract

A systematic assessment of radiotherapy for cancer was conducted by The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) in 2001. The assessment included a review of radiotherapy techniques in current use in Sweden. The following conclusions were drawn: Radiotherapy demands adequate knowledge of diagnostic methods, anatomy, cancer biology and of the physical and biological properties of ionizing radiation. Well-functioning teamwork on the part of the oncologist, medical physicist and oncology nurse is important. Radiotherapy has a high degree of technical sophistication, including the use of computers, which necessitates expert technical support. Technical development is rapid, and since the previous report, multileaf collimators and electronic portal imaging have been introduced in the clinical routine. The use of brachytherapy for treatment of non-gynaecological malignancies is rapidly increasing. The need for quality assurance in all steps of the radiotherapy procedure is stressed. A critical review of the literature on intraoperative radiotherapy is also included as an Appendix.