Radiologists and medical physicists of Siberia and the Far East gathered in Irkutsk

The Irkutsk Regional Cancer Center and the Interdisciplinary Innovation Center for Medical Education (ANO PPE IICME) signed an agreement on cooperation in the implementation of scientific and educational projects. As part of this agreement, a round table "User experience of re-equipping the radiological service with modern tunnel-type radiotherapy systems on the example of the Irkutsk region" was organized and took place on March 31-April 1 at the Irkutsk Cancer Center. Specialists from eight Russian regions (Trans-Baikal Territory, Amur, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk, Sakhalin, Magadan and Moscow regions), specialists from Switzerland, as well as manufacturers of medical equipment have participated in it.

“We thank our Moscow guests who helped us hold such a powerful round table. Our colleagues from the oncological services of Siberia and the Far East have been waiting for it”, noted the chief oncologist of the Irkutsk region, DMSc, professor Victoria Dvornichenko. “The fact is the acquisition of new modern equipment gives them the opportunity for further development. So, we managed to equip our hospital with world-class equipment and gain substantial experience and extensive competencies in the field of radiotherapy and medical physics, which we are happy to share with colleagues from other regions in order to improve the quality of oncological care throughout Russia.”

Indeed, the Irkutsk dispensary, in partnership with the State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom”, is currently solving the ambitious task of creating the East Siberian Center for Nuclear Medicine, which has no equal in the whole country today. And while the construction is underway, the radiotherapy department No. 2 of the Regional Cancer Center, located in Angarsk is acting as a type of substitute for the future center. All the latest technical achievements and technological capabilities in the field of radiation therapy have been accumulated here, and not only by Russian standards, but also in accordance with the most modern international standards. Angarsk was the first city where the linear accelerators of a new tunnel type have appeared in Russia.

“These are absolutely new machines that can be installed in vaults from Soviet-era devices without any global costs,” says Maxim Kurennoy, head of the radiotherapy department No. 2 of the Regional Cancer Center, a doctor of the highest qualification category. “However, getting and setting up new equipment is only half the battle, the main thing is to be able to use it correctly, safely and effectively. The agreement signed today will allow us to interact with colleagues from other oncological dispensaries in the country and exchange our experience and acquired skills with them”.

That is why the work of the round table was held in two locations. The "theoretical part" took place in the conference hall of the Irkutsk Cancer Center: reports of medical physicists and radiotherapists from the Irkutsk region, Moscow and Switzerland were presented here. While the Angarsk radiotherapy department No. 2 held the “practical” component of the round table: demonstrations of patient preparation for irradiation, MSCT marking, delineation, planning, evaluation and verification of irradiation plans.

            

            

“The experience that the specialists of the center have and which they can share is extremely important for clinicians and medical physicists in the country, especially during the implementation of the federal project "Fight against cancer", when the issue of technical re-equipment is quite acute for many regions. We are confident that our fruitful cooperation in terms of educational programs can be useful to every specialized medical institution in the country”, emphasized the director of ANO PPE IICME, Marina Chernikova.

“Medical linear accelerators are some of the most complex and technologically advanced types of medical equipment for the cancer treatment. Therefore, it is quite difficult for users without sufficient practice to immediately realize the full potential of such equipment. We, as a manufacturer of linear accelerators and a partner of IICME, know this problem firsthand and try to support educational activities for radiotherapists and medical physicists. Thanks to the cooperation between IICME and the Irkutsk Regional Cancer Center, specialists now have an excellent opportunity to exchange their accumulated clinical practice with leading Russian and foreign colleagues on the basis of a large medical institution”, added to Marina Chernikova’ statement deputy general director of LLC Radiotherapeutic technology factory Dmitry Raisky.

REFERENCE:
ANO DPO "Interdisciplinary Innovative Center for Medical Education" (IICME) is an interdisciplinary innovative training center for medical professionals with a focus on high-tech instrumental diagnostics and therapy. The institution trains radiotherapists, medical physicists, chemotherapists, surgeons and other specialists both in the form of certification courses and in the form of short-term master classes with international participation at its own base at the Moscow State University, as well as at the leading Russian educational centers and healthcare facilities.