MEDICAL PHYSICS IN LITHUANIA PAST AND FUTURE

MEDICAL PHYSICS IN LITHUANIA – PAST AND FUTURE VYDMANTAS ATKOČIUS INSTITUTE OF ONCOLOGY, VILNIUS UNIVERSITY, LITHUANIA 2010, Budapest, 16 June Page 1

MEDICAL PHYSICS – ESSENTIAL SPECIALITY IN CANCER TREATMENT IT’S MY LIFE WHY THIS TITLE? THERE ARE IMPRESIVE RESULTS IMPACT OF THE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION Page 2

HISTORY 1972 • 2 BETATRONS • 4 60 Co EBRT UNITS • Some X-ray treatment units • 226 Ra sources for brachytherapy • 0 Medical physicists 3 Russian condenser • Some roentgen technicians R-meters Page 3

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. Page 4

HISTORY POLISH PHYSICISTS 1995 – 1997 – 2000 PERSONAL CONTACTS EMANUEL VAN DER SCHUEREN EURAQA pan-EUropean RAdiation Quality Assurance EROPAQ pan-European Radiation Oncology Programme for Assurance of Treatment Quality Page 5

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) Page 6

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 Page 7

LITHUANIA - TLD AUDIT IAEA/WHO TLD audit 1995 -2000 World Congress, Melbourne, Australia, 2001 Oral presentation Page 8

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 Page 9

MEDICAL PHYSICS PREPARATION CHART (2008) Page 10

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) Page 11

MF PROGRAMMES IN COMPARISON I SWEDEN, Lund University Göteborg University Karolinska University, Sockholm UK, LITHUANIA King‘s College London KTU VU College of London Radiation protection, 5 P Radiation protection 4 Kr. Radiation biology, 5 P Radiobiology 2 Kr. 3 Kr. Human anatomy, 5 P Anatomy and physiology 4 Kr. Biostatistics for physicists, 5 P Biomedical statistics 2 Kr. 3 Kr. Interaction of ionizing radiation with matter, 5 P Interaction of nonionizing and ionizing 4 Kr. radiation with matter 3 Kr. Imaging systems and imaging, 5 P (Photon imaging) Imaging systems Mathematical methods and image Basic signal processing, including applied system in medical imaging analysis, 5 P 4 Kr. 7 Kr. 4 Kr. 5 Kr.

MF PROGRAMMES IN COMPARISON II SWEDEN, Lund University Göteborg University Karolinska University, Sockholm UK, LITHUANIA King‘s College London KTU VU College of London Radiation detectors and measurements, 5 P Radiation detectors and dosimetry 4 Kr. Diagnostic radiology, 5 P Diagnostic radiology 4 Kr. Physics of radiotherapy, 5 P Physics of radiotherapy 4 Kr. Radiation dosimetry, 5 P 2 Kr. 3 Kr. 5 Kr Imaging systems and imaging, 5 P NMR imaging Ultrasound imaging 4 Kr. Nuclear medicine, 5 P Nuclear medicine 2 Kr. 4 Kr. 20 Kr. 17 Kr. MSC. Degree project, 20 P

NEED FOR MF PROFESSION IN LITHUANIA Overall (diagnostics and cancer treatment) 100 - 150 Graduated in KTU 23 Perform MF duties in oncology centers 26 Page 14

Active players: • Professional societies • Oncology centers • RSC (Radiation Protection Center) • Radiotherapists and clinics administrators Passive players: • Government • Ministry of Health Page 15

CONCLUSIONS 1. 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 Page 16

Thank you for attention Page 17