The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project

Patrizia Cornacchione; Luca Tagliaferri; Andrea D’Aviero; Antonella Ciabattoni; Carmela Galdieri; Vitaliana De Sanctis; Francesco Fellin; Sergio Gribaudo; Daniele Lambertini; Maria Antonietta Gambacorta; Barbara Jereczek-Fossa; Vittorio Donato; Andrea Vavassori

doi:10.5114/jcb.2021.112109

eISSN: 2081-2841
ISSN: 1689-832X

Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy

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Original paper

The role of radiation therapy technologist in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project

Patrizia Cornacchione

¹

,

Luca Tagliaferri

¹

,

Andrea D’Aviero

¹

,

Antonella Ciabattoni

²

,

Carmela Galdieri

³

,

Vitaliana De Sanctis

⁴

,

Francesco Fellin

⁵

,

Sergio Gribaudo

⁶

,

Daniele Lambertini

⁷

,

Maria Antonietta Gambacorta

^{1, 8}

,

Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa

^{9, 10}

,

Vittorio Donato

¹¹

,

Andrea Vavassori

¹⁰

UOC Radioterapia Oncologica, Dipartimento di Diagnostica per Immagini, Radioterapia Oncologica ed Ematologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
Department of Radiotherapy, San Filippo Neri Hospital, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
U.O. Radioterapia e radiochirurgia, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano (MI), Italy
Department of Medicine and Surgery and Translational Medicine, Radiotherapy Oncology, Sapienza University of Rome, S. Andrea Hospital, Roma, Italy
Protontherapy Department, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari (APSS), Trento, Italy
Department of Oncology-Radiotherapy, A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy
Dipartimento Oncologico e Tecnologie Avanzate, Servizio di Fisica Medica, AUSL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Italy
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
Department of Oncology and Hemato-oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
Department of Radiotherapy, IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
Radiation Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera San Camillo-Forlanini, Rome, Italy

J Contemp Brachytherapy 2021; 13, 6: 599–604

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/jcb.2021.112109

Online publish date: 2021/12/30

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AMA

Cornacchione P, Tagliaferri L, D’Aviero A, et al. The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project. Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy. 2021;13(6):599-604. doi:10.5114/jcb.2021.112109.

APA

Cornacchione, P., Tagliaferri, L., D’Aviero, A., Ciabattoni, A., Galdieri, C.,  & De Sanctis, V. et al. (2021). The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project. Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy, 13(6), 599-604. https://doi.org/10.5114/jcb.2021.112109

Chicago

Cornacchione, Patrizia, Luca Tagliaferri, Andrea D’Aviero, Antonella Ciabattoni, Carmela Galdieri, Vitaliana De Sanctis,  and Francesco Fellin et al. 2021. "The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project". Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy 13 (6): 599-604. doi:10.5114/jcb.2021.112109.

Harvard

Cornacchione, P., Tagliaferri, L., D’Aviero, A., Ciabattoni, A., Galdieri, C., De Sanctis, V., Fellin, F., Gribaudo, S., Lambertini, D., Antonietta Gambacorta, M., Jereczek-Fossa, B., Donato, V.,  and Vavassori, A. (2021). The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project. Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy, 13(6), pp.599-604. https://doi.org/10.5114/jcb.2021.112109

MLA

Cornacchione, Patrizia et al. "The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project." Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy, vol. 13, no. 6, 2021, pp. 599-604. doi:10.5114/jcb.2021.112109.

Vancouver

Cornacchione P, Tagliaferri L, D’Aviero A, Ciabattoni A, Galdieri C, De Sanctis V et al. The role of radiation therapy technologist 
in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project. Journal of Contemporary Brachytherapy. 2021;13(6):599-604. doi:10.5114/jcb.2021.112109.

Introduction
Interventional radiotherapy (IRT, brachytherapy and intra-operative radiotherapy) is a complex treatment approach that requires a multi-professional approach. The aim of this work was to assess the role of radiation therapy technologist (RTT) in IRT team, with a special focus on brachytherapy as well as to define more appropriate ways to improve skills and training to promote cooperation of multi-professional team.

Material and methods
A nationwide survey consisting of 16 questions was proposed between April and May 2020, with collaboration between the Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) and the Interventional Radiotherapy Study Group of Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO). The survey was sent through the AITRO contact list to RTTs’ contacts from all Italian radiotherapy (RT) departments.

Results
A total of 37 answered questionnaires returned (36% of all contacts reached), each from different center. 23 centers (62%) presented with dedicated team for IRT treatments, while 15 centers (41%) had dedicated RTT staff. The majority of RTT (86%) did not consider undergraduate training adequate to acquire the skills required to work in IRT departments or units.

Conclusions
This survey underlines the need of additional education and training for RTTs that should focus on treatment management optimization in development of an IRT multi-professional team. Specific updates could be the key to develop further collaboration and to improve cancer patient care.

keywords:

The role of radiation therapy technologist in interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) in Italy: Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) and Italian Association of Radiation Therapy and Medical Physics Technologists (AITRO) joint project

interventional radiotherapy, brachytherapy, RTT