Arabic version: عيادة دوبو تقود تطبيق علاج السرطان بتقنية RAD في القطاع العام

According to ABC News, the Western Cancer Clinic at Dubbo Base Hospital is Australia’s first public provider of RapidArc Dynamic (RAD) radiation technology, a more dynamic and precise form of radiation therapy.

More than 110 patients have received RAD treatment at the Western Cancer Centre. University of NSW Professor of Radiation Oncology Geoff Delaney said the technology could reduce the number of radiation treatments required and halve the time patients spend receiving treatment in hospital.

RAD uses a collimator to shape a radiation beam to the exact form of a cancerous tumour. The device rotates around the patient while beams are adjusted in real time. Unlike RapidArc, RAD can pause during treatment to deliver more precise dosing.

Acting chief radiation therapist for the Western NSW Local Health District, Catherine Osborne, said precise dosage can protect surrounding organs, including the heart and lungs in breast-cancer treatment. She said centres around Australia were moving quickly to obtain RAD, while Dubbo was the first public hospital to introduce it.

For Coonabarabran patient Kevin Barrington, 78, RAD reduced time on the treatment table after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year. He said appointments that had previously taken about half an hour took about 15 minutes. Final-year radiation therapy student Thyda Rim said access to the technology in Dubbo showed advanced treatment could be available in remote communities.