Guidelines for safe practice of stereotactic body (ablative) radiation therapy

J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2015 Oct;59(5):646-53. doi: 10.1111/1754-9485.12336. Epub 2015 Jun 29.

Abstract

The uptake of stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SABR)/stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) worldwide has been rapid. The Australian and New Zealand Faculty of Radiation Oncology (FRO) assembled an expert panel of radiation oncologists, radiation oncology medical physicists and radiation therapists to establish guidelines for safe practice of SABR. Draft guidelines were reviewed by a number of international experts in the field and then distributed through the membership of the FRO. Members of the Australian Institute of Radiography and the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine were also asked to comment on the draft. Evidence-based recommendations (where applicable) address aspects of departmental staffing, procedures and equipment, quality assurance measures, as well as organisational considerations for delivery of SABR treatments. Central to the guidelines is a set of key recommendations for departments undertaking SABR. These guidelines were developed collaboratively to provide an educational guide and reference for radiation therapy service providers to ensure appropriate care of patients receiving SABR.

Keywords: ablative radiation therapy; guideline; quality assurance; radiation oncology; stereotactic body.

MeSH terms

  • Australia
  • Medical Oncology / standards*
  • New Zealand
  • Patient Safety / standards*
  • Practice Guidelines as Topic*
  • Radiation Monitoring / standards*
  • Radiation Protection / standards*
  • Radiosurgery / standards*