Over 60 000 Australians will undergo radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment this year. Linear accelerators (linacs) deliver this therapy in highly targeted dosages.
With the installation and operation of our brand new state-of-the-art linac, ARPANSA has ensured the continued safe delivery of radiation therapy services in Australia for the next decade.
The linac will also sit within a world-class research and education centre. The Roger Allison Radiotherapy Quality Centre will be used for a variety of partnership projects to facilitate both national and international research in medical imaging.
Dr Ivan Williams, Chief Medical Radiation Scientist, Medical Radiation Services at ARPANSA highlights, ‘the new linac will support ARPANSA’s medical radiation services to continue in ensuring any Australians undergoing medical procedures receive the correct amount of radiation.’
‘It will maintain both our medical radiation services capability, and international best practice in medical radiation protection.’
Dr Williams is confident the linac and research centre, ‘has future-proofed ARPANSA against anticipated changes in the dynamic medical oncology environment so that we can re-create advanced clinical practice and measure it.’
The linac will support some of the following ARPANSA essential services:
- Australian Radiation primary standards. All radiotherapy treatments within Australia trace back to our ionising radiation primary standard. We are one of only a dozen primary standard dosimetry laboratories in the world that maintain a primary standard for ionising radiation.
- Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service (ACDS). This is a world-leading and independent dosimetry auditing program. The ACDS provides quality assurance for radiation oncology facilities and patients and offer treatment assurance for 100% of Australian radiotherapy facilities via a multi-level audit service.
[video:https://youtu.be/CnOF2skZIL0]
For more information on the new state-of-the-art linac contact media@arpansa.gov.au
