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VYDMANTAS ATKOČIUS

INSTITUTE OF ONCOLOGY, VILNIUS UNIVERSITY, LITHUANIA

2010, Budapest, 16 June

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HISTORY

• 2 BETATRONS

• 4 60Co EBRT UNITS

1972 • Some X-ray treatment units

• 226Ra sources for brachytherapy

• 0 Medical physicists• Some roentgen technicians

3 Russian condenser R-meters

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HISTORY

• 2 mos training course for medical physics (certificate)

1979 • VICTOREEN 570 CONDENSER R-METER – three chambers for low, medicine and high energies

• Dose output measurement at two RT centers and time tables for irradiation – onsite visits, 4 per yr.

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1995 – 1997

1997 – 2000

POLISH PHYSICISTS

POLISH PHYSICISTS

PERSONALCONTACTSPERSONALCONTACTS

EMANUEL VAN DERSCHUEREN

EMANUEL VAN DERSCHUEREN

EURAQApan-EUropean RAdiation Quality

Assurance

EROPAQpan-European Radiation Oncology

Programme for Assurance of Treatment Quality

HISTORY

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EURAQA data:

The Middle Ages–1995 2 from 5 (40 %) radiotherapy centers without medical physicists (Quite alone in Central and Eastern Europe)

1996–2000 All RT centers have at least one medical physicist (after 1-2 mos training at Institute of Oncology, VU)

2010 Workload of medical physicist (about 400 pts/yr in Lithuania)

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IAEA

• RER/6/008: Building Capacity in Medical Physics (1997 – 2001)

• RER/6/012: Quality Assurance / Quality Control in Radiation Oncology (2001 – 2008)

• RER/6/013 and other related programmes

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Year Beams

checked Beams with deviation

more 3% (in %) Beams with deviation

more 5% (in %)

1995 4 (LOC) 0 0

1996 11 40.0 33.3

1998 11 54.4 27.0

1999 11 18.0 0

2000 13 0 0

World Congress, Melbourne, Australia, 2001 Oral presentation

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MEDICAL PHYSICS TODAY IN LITHUANIA

• Medical Physics (speciality) was included in the list of specialities in medicine

• Medical Physicists working in RT – 26 • Medical Physics Committee in Lithuania

Society for Radiation Oncology, (1995) – 24 members

• Society of Medical Physicists (Kaunas), (2008) – 18 members

• Lithuanian Association of Medical Physicists and Biomedical Engineers (2009) – newly established

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MEDICAL PHYSICS PREPARATION CHART

(2008)

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MEDICAL PHYSICS - EDUCATION• KAUNAS TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY:

– Basic education – 3-4 years– Level of Master in Medical Physics – 2 years– Postgraduate training (in clinic) – 2 years

• MEDICAL FACULTY + INSTITUTE OF ONKOLOGY, VILNIUS UNIVERSITY:

– Level of Master in Medical Physics – 2 years

Basic education in physics, biomedicine or technology (physics not less 27 ECTS and mathematics or IT not less 15 ECTS) – 4 years in different faculties

– Postgraduate training (in clinic of Institute of Oncology ,VU) – 2 years (under supervision of Qualified Medical Physicist or Medical Physics Expert)

MF PROGRAMMES IN COMPARISON ISWEDEN,Lund University Göteborg UniversityKarolinska University, Sockholm

UK,King‘s College LondonCollege of London

LITHUANIA

KTU VU

Radiation protection, 5P Radiation protection 4 Kr. 4 Kr.

Radiation biology, 5P Radiobiology 2 Kr. 3 Kr.

Human anatomy, 5P Anatomy and physiology 4 Kr. 4 Kr.

Biostatistics for physicists, 5P Biomedical statistics 2 Kr. 3 Kr.

Interaction of ionizing radiation with matter, 5P

Interaction of nonionizing and ionizing radiation with matter

4 Kr. 3 Kr.

Imaging systems and imaging, 5P(Photon imaging)

Imaging systems4 Kr. 7 Kr.

Mathematical methods and image processing, including applied system analysis, 5P

Basic signal processing in medical imaging 4 Kr. 5 Kr.

MF PROGRAMMES IN COMPARISON IISWEDEN,Lund University Göteborg UniversityKarolinska University, Sockholm

UK,King‘s College LondonCollege of London

LITHUANIA

KTU VU

Radiation detectors and measurements, 5P

Radiation detectors and dosimetry

4 Kr.

Diagnostic radiology, 5P Diagnostic radiology 4 Kr. 3 Kr.

Physics of radiotherapy, 5P Physics of radiotherapy 4 Kr.5 Kr

Radiation dosimetry, 5P 2 Kr.

Imaging systems and imaging, 5P NMR imagingUltrasound imaging

4 Kr. 4 Kr.

Nuclear medicine, 5P Nuclear medicine 2 Kr. 4 Kr.

MSC. Degree project, 20P 20 Kr. 17 Kr.

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NEED FOR MF PROFESSION IN LITHUANIA

Overall (diagnostics and cancer treatment) 100 - 150

Graduated in KTU 23

Perform MF duties in oncology centers 26

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Active players:• Professional societies• Oncology centers• RSC (Radiation Protection Center)• Radiotherapists and clinics

administrators

Passive players:• Government• Ministry of Health

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CONCLUSIONS1. MF speciality in Lithuania is on the

way:– Two universities are involved in education

process– Three is a need of the government approval

for medical physics career, training and licensing, schema

2. International assistance (EU directives, OECI, IAEA) for activation this process is gainful and extremely required

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Thank Thank you you forfor attention attention