This National Radiographer and Radiation Therapists’ Week, we’re celebrating the expertise, innovation and commitment of Icon Cancer Centre’s radiotherapy teams.
For Icon Cancer Centre Midland Advanced Radiation Therapist, Carissa Arthur, a passion for advancing radiotherapy has recently taken her from Western Australia to Singapore and South Korea.
Having led the implementation of RapidArc Dynamic (RAD) at Icon Midland, Carissa recently had the opportunity to share Icon Cancer Centre’s experience with the emerging radiotherapy technology on the international stage.
In Singapore, Carissa delivered two workshops as part of a Federation of Asian Organizations for Radiation Oncology (FARO)-endorsed pre-conference workshop, Advanced Treatment Planning: RapidArc Dynamic, held ahead of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) Meets Asia conference.
The sessions introduced participants to RAD through practical planning strategies and hands-on experience creating treatment plans.
In South Korea, Carissa was joined by Icon Oncology Group Development and Implementation Radiation Therapist, Pinky Tiu to deliver a two-day peer-to-peer workshop with the planning team at Gil Hospital Cancer Centre in Incheon. Together, they shared their experience implementing and using RAD and worked alongside the team to support their adoption of the technology.
What was particularly rewarding was being able to show how far we’ve come at Midland and the different ways we’re using RAD in everyday clinical practice.
RapidArc Dynamic is an advanced treatment planning and delivery solution designed to help clinicians create high-quality treatment plans more efficiently.
For patients, this can mean reduced planning and treatment times, including spending less time on the treatment couch, while continuing to receive highly personalised care.
Carissa says the Icon Midland team has seen significant improvements in planning efficiency, particularly for more complex cases such as breast and nodal treatments.
The international workshops also provided an opportunity to learn from other radiation therapy teams and see how the same technology can be applied in different clinical environments.
“One of the biggest learnings was seeing how the same technology can be applied differently depending on a team’s workflow, resources and clinical environment. It reinforced the value of collaboration, flexibility and sharing knowledge across centres and countries,” Carissa says.
For Carissa, the experience was also an opportunity to showcase the expertise being developed within Icon Cancer Centre’s radiotherapy teams in Australia.
“It was a privilege to represent Icon Cancer Centre and showcase the work being done by the Midland team. Opportunities like these help share knowledge globally and support the adoption of technologies that can ultimately benefit more patients,” Carissa says.
This National Radiographer and Radiation Therapists Week, we’re proud to recognise Carissa and the radiotherapy teams across Icon Cancer Centre who combine clinical expertise, technology and innovation to deliver high-quality, personalised care for patients every day.