MPP04 Presentation Time: 4:27 PM

Purpose

Education in brachytherapy (BT) is multidisciplinary and has multiple facets; industry plays here also a pivotal role. As image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) experiences a rapid growth, companies are increasingly receiving requests from customers seeking education and practical skill training. Traditional product training for BT equipment is insufficient in addressing the educational requirements for IGBT. The objective of this study was to analyze the live clinical workshops (WS) conducted by the BrachyAcademy (BA) with the aim of enhancing the adoption of IGBT among radiation therapy professionals. Additionally, the study sought to evaluate the influence of BA WS on the clinical practice of the participants.

Materials and Methods

The BA WS is designed for a limited group, typically a maximum of 10-20 participants. The workshop program, spanning 2 or 3 days, usually includes live observation of BT cases in the operating theater, hands-on training covering applicator/needles/catheters insertion, contouring, and treatment planning (TP), as well as lectures and discussions. The WS faculty comprises Radiation Oncologists (RO) and Medical Physicists (MP) from the hosting hospital, along with invited clinical experts. We gathered and examined data of the live clinical BA WS in hospitals globally from 2008 to 2023. In March 2020, BA initiated a survey to gather feedback from participants of the previous live WS. The survey sought insights into the workshop impact on their clinical practice.

Results

The inaugural BA WS, titled “IGBT for gynecology using the combined intracavitary/interstitial technique”, took place in July 2008 in collaboration with a reputable institution. Subsequently, a total of 28 gynecological workshops have been organized in the same place. These WS attracted 435 participants from 47 countries, including 243 RO, 179 MP, and 13 Radiation Therapy Technologists (RTT), who provided highly positive evaluations. Between 2008 and 2023, BrachyAcademy organized a total of 117 live clinical workshops (including the gynae workshops mentioned above), as illustrated in Figure 1, showcasing the distribution of WS based on BT indication and location. The reduced number of WS in 2020-2021 was a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the 15-year period, the total number of WS by BT indication was as follows: gynecological - 53, prostate - 28, breast - 13, skin - 13, general BT for residents - 4, bladder - 3, rectal - 2, head and neck - 1. Geographically, the WS were distributed as follows: Europe - 68, North America - 30, Asia - 17, Africa - 1, Australia - 1. Based on 933 available evaluation forms filled by EG WS participants, 59% attendees rated their achievement of learning objectives as “very good,” while 39% rated it as “good”, and 2% as “neutral". The overall workshop satisfaction score was 9 out of 10. In 2020, we received feedback on the survey from 64 participants of the previous WS. The respondents had varying levels of experience, ranging from residency to over 10 years of experience in BT. Following their participation in the BA WS, 89% of responders reported a change in their clinical practice. Specifically, 19% started IC/IS BT in cervical cancer, 11% increased the number of patients treated with BT, 64% expressed increased confidence in TP and dose optimization, 31% felt more confident about applicator choice, and 8% initiated BT treatment for new indications such as prostate, skin, and bladder.

Conclusions

Clinical workshops supported by industry have been playing an important role in brachytherapy education of radiation therapy professionals worldwide. The teaching for IGBT techniques, initially introduced during the BrachyAcademy workshops at pioneer institution, have since been disseminated throughout Europe and North America, extending their reach across Asia. The current objective of the BA is to promote the adoption of BT, with a specific focus on LMICs, including Africa and Latin America.