Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,
First of all, an alert: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has scheduled a two-day meeting beginning June 9 to discuss what's needed to make radiation therapy safer for patients. Those who wish to participate in person need to register by May 15, and the FDA is also accepting suggestions electronically. Click here for details.
One of the concerns expressed by FDA officials is that the chance of treatment errors could rise as radiation therapy equipment becomes more complex. What does it take to successfully adopt a complex new radiotherapy treatment? A lot of work by a lot of dedicated people. But in addition, it's always helpful to receive practical advice.
That's the subject of this newsletter's Insider Exclusive -- we offer a summary of a primer on implementing helical tomotherapy for image-guided and intensity-modulated radiation therapy by Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, U.K. We think this should be required reading prior to expanding treatment capabilities with new equipment and technology.
In a similar vein, Australian researchers evaluated the factors that influenced different levels of adoption of an oncology information system at two similar hospitals in Sydney. There's a lot to learn if you haven't yet fully implemented electronic records. Click here to read more.
How should the success of treatment be measured? A U.S. Medicare panel got an earful when it asked that thorny question about radiation therapy for prostate cancer. AuntMinnie.com provides the most comprehensive published coverage of this discussion, in a detailed article you'll find here.
Although AuntMinnie.com is more familiar to imaging professionals than radiation oncology specialists, the Radiation Oncology Digital Community has been expanding. I've recently received a spate of e-mails from both medical professionals and intellectually inquisitive cancer patients asking, "Why didn't I know about this resource?" So do let your colleagues know about us. Registering and signing up to receive newsletters is easy, fast, and free.
