Current status of the educational environment to acquire and maintain the professional skills of radiotherapy technology and medical physics specialists in Japan: a nationwide survey

A Japanese national survey on IMRT/SBRT in 2023 by the JASTRO High-Precision External Beam Radiotherapy Group

The purpose of this study was to investigate the utilization and implementation of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in Japan up to 2023. The survey was conducted by the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology High-Precision External Beam Radiotherapy Group Subcommittee from December 2023 to February 2024. The study targeted patients treated with IMRT or SBRT between January 2021 and December 2022. A comprehensive web-based questionnaire was distributed to 880 facilities, with separate sections for radiation oncologists and medical physicists/radiotherapy technologists. A total of 360 facilities responded (response rate: 40.9%) for the section of radiation oncologists, and 405 facilities responded (response rate: 46.0%) for medical physicists/radiotherapy technologists, providing data on the implementation status, techniques, workload and challenges associated with IMRT and SBRT. Based on the responses in the section of radiation oncologists, IMRT was used in 68.6% of responding institutes, and SBRT in 87.8%. VMAT emerged as the most common IMRT technique (78.3%). The survey highlighted a high demand for medical physicists to perform IMRT (86.9%). Based on the responses in the section of medical physicists/radiotherapy technologists, 84.6% of the facilities that have not performed IMRT reported that the main reason was a lack of radiation oncologists. Furthermore, the survey also noted significant variations in prescribed doses and margin sizes across facilities, indicating the need for further standardization. High-precision radiation techniques such as IMRT and SBRT are getting popular, however, the facility requirements which mandate the presence of at least two radiation oncologists prevents IMRT from becoming more widespread in Japan.

Clinical workload profile of medical physics professionals at particle therapy Centers: a National Survey in Japan

The current research on staffing models is primarily focused on conventional external photon beam therapy, which predominantly involves using linear accelerators. This emphasizes the need for comprehensive studies to understand better and define specific particle therapy facilities' staffing requirements. In a 2022 survey of 25 particle therapy facilities in Japan with an 84% response rate, significant insights were obtained regarding workload distribution, defined as the product of personnel count and task time (person-minutes), for patient-related tasks and equipment quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC). The survey revealed that machinery QA/QC tasks were particularly demanding, with an average monthly workload of 376.9 min and weekly tasks averaging 162.1 min. In comparison, patient-related workloads focused on treatment planning, exhibiting substantial time commitments, particularly for scanning and passive scattering techniques. The average workloads for treatment planning per patient were 291.3 and 195.4 min, respectively. In addition, specific patient scenarios such as pre-treatment sedation in pediatric cases require longer durations (averaging 84.5 min), which likely include the workloads of not only the physician responsible for sedation but also the radiotherapy technology and medical physics specialists providing support during sedation and the nursing staff involved in sedation care. These findings underscore the significant time investments required for machinery QA/QC and patient-specific treatment planning in particle therapy facilities, along with the need for specialized care procedures in pediatric cases. The results of this survey also emphasized the challenges and staffing requirements to ensure QA/QC in high-precision medical environments.

Current status of the working environment of brachytherapy in Japan: a nationwide survey-based analysis focusing on radiotherapy technologists and medical physicists

Brachytherapy (BT), especially in high dose rate (HDR), has become increasingly complex owing to the use of image-guided techniques and the introduction of advanced applicators. Consequently, radiotherapy technologists and medical physicists (RTMPs) require substantial training to enhance their knowledge and technical skills in image-guided brachytherapy. However, the current status of the RTMP workload, individual abilities and quality control (QC) of BT units in Japan remains unclear. To address this issue, we conducted a questionnaire survey from June to August 2022 in all 837 radiation treatment facilities in Japan involving RTMPs. This survey focused on gynecological cancers treated with HDR-BT (GY-HDR) and permanent prostate implantation using low-dose-rate BT (PR-LDR). The responses revealed that the average working time in the overall process for HDR varied: 120 min for intracavitary BT and 180 min for intracavitary BT combined with interstitial BT. The QC implementation rate, in accordance with domestic guidelines, was 65% for GY-HDR and 44% for PR-LDR, which was lower than the 69% observed for external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Additionally, the implementation rate during regular working hours was low. Even among RTMP working in facilities performing BT, the proportion of those able to perform QC for BT units was ~30% for GY-HDR and <20% for PR-LDR, significantly lower than the 80% achieved for EBRT. This study highlights the vulnerabilities of Japan's BT unit QC implementation structure. Addressing these issues requires appropriate training of the RTMP staff to safely perform BT tasks and improvements in practical education and training systems.

Trends and distribution of external radiation therapy facilities in Japan based on Survey of Medical Institutions from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

This study aimed to explore the distribution of external radiation therapy (RT) facilities, the status of related device installations and the adoption of high-precision RT using Survey of Medical Institutions from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan. Analysis, categorized by the hospital size and prefecture, provides specific insights into the trends in treatment facility healthcare capabilities. Data on the number of RT facilities, high-precision RT facilities, RT devices and treatment planning systems (TPS) categorized by the number of beds and prefecture from 1996 to 2020 were analyzed. In addition, the study examined the correlation between the high-precision implementation rate and the number of TPSs or radiation oncologists and other medical staff. High-precision RT exceeded 95% in large facilities (800+ beds) but remained <50% in medium-sized facilities (300-499 beds). In a prefecture-by-prefecture analysis, calculation of the maximum-minimum ratio of RT facilities per million population and per 30 km2 revealed a disparity of 3.7 and 73.1 times in the population ratio and the density ratio, respectively. Although a correlation was found between the number of TPSs per RT device or the number of medical physicists per million population and the rate of high-precision RT implementation, no correlation was found among other professions. Detailed analysis based on the hospital size and prefecture provided more specific information on the medical functions of RT facilities in Japan. These findings can potentially contribute to the future development of RT, including the standardization of treatment techniques and optimal resource allocation.