Image Guided & Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy in Clinical Practice Course

16th – 18th February 2012

This course is designed to help clinicians, physicists and radiographers to develop programmes for the clinical implementation of image guided and intensity modulated radiotherapy and has been awarded 19 RCR Category I CPD credits from The Royal College of Radiologists. The curriculum covers many practical aspects and includes hands-on practical outlining sessions, QA and dosimetry. It is recommended that a team of oncologist, physicist and radiographer from the same centre attend together. The course is for three days and included in the cost are a set of lecture notes, a CD of the presentations, lunches, refreshments, cheese and wine and a course dinner on the evening of Thursday 16th February.

Day one: Introduces multi-modality and functional imaging for the delivery of complex radiotherapy, as well as an introduction to the principles of IM and IGRT. A clinically focused session will also be included. Planning techniques to be discussed include IMRT, VMAT + RapidArc planning and delivery. 2D, 3D Conebeam and KV-MV imaging, Marker tracking.
Breathing related problems for various clinical sites are included, together with an introduction to adaptive radiotherapy.

Day two: Lectures on Head & Neck clinical trials, Breast IMRT and radiobiological considerations in IMRT including hypofractionation will start the day. ICRU margins and volumes and clinical guidelines  for contouring will be discussed in detail by Prof. Vincent Gregoire. Commissioning essentials plus QA for IMRT are included and there will be clinical sessions on the use of IMRT and IGRT in clinical trials for different sites. The day will finish with a quiz and cheese & wine.

Day three: Practical hands-on sessions on contouring supervised by oncologists and hands-on IMRT planning will be included. Demonstrations on treatment machines cover relevant quality assurance for IGRT and IMRT and image capture, matching for 2D + 3D methods, dosimetry and fluence verification, patient set-up and immobilization procedures.

Course Brochure and Registration Form