Assessment of usage, reuse and disposal of thermoplastic masks among radiotherapy technologists in India: A nationwide perspective.

Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT) relies on devices like thermoplastic masks (TMs), that are made up of specialized thermoplastic polymers, and used as an immobilization tool. The study aims to assess the practice of usage and reuse of TMs among radiation therapy technologists (RTTs) in India and explore their awareness of environmental impact during disposal. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among RTTs working in different healthcare settings. A structured questionnaire designed by a team of RTTs and radiation oncologists was used to collect responses. Questionnaire encompassed data pertaining to demographics, existing patient load, daily utilisation and reuse practice of TMs, preferred method of disposal and awareness of RTTs regarding environmental consequences associated with TM disposal. Results: A total of 430 RTTs participated in the study, with a median age of 31 years and a median professional experience of 8 years. Among the participants, 213 (49.6 %) reported daily TM utilization in more than 50 patients. TM reuse was reported by 350 (81.1 %) RTTs, with 257 (60 %) reusing TMs in both curative and palliative treatments. Reuse of TMs was observed more commonly in RTTs working in government facilities (81.2 %).Regarding disposal preferences, 381 (88.6%) participants preferred discarding used TMs in biomedical waste and 64.8% of these ultimately ended up as discarded scrap. Awareness regarding adverse environmental impact associated with TM disposal was reported by 320 (74.4%) participant RTTs. Conclusion: The study highlights the prevalent practice of reuse of TMs, especially in curative treatments, government-run facilities and busy treatment settings. Additionally, it emphasises the imperative for enhanced bio-medical waste management practices to facilitate more effective handling and disposal of used TMs.

Commissioning and dosimetric verification of volumetric modulated arc therapy for multiple modalities using electronic portal imaging device-based 3D dosimetry system: a novel approach.

The purpose of this study was to validate an electronic portal imaging device (EPID) based 3-dimensional (3D) dosimetry system for the commissioning of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery for flattening filter (FF) and flattening filter free (FFF) modalities based on test suites developed according to American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group 119 (AAPM TG 119) and pre-treatment patient specific quality assurance (PSQA).With ionisation chamber, multiple-point measurement in various planes becomes extremely difficult and time-consuming, necessitating repeated exposure of the plan. The average agreement between measured and planned doses for TG plans is recommended to be within 3%, and both the ionisation chamber and PerFRACTION™ measurement were well within this prescribed limit. Both point dose differences with the planned dose and gamma passing rates are comparable with TG reported multi-institution results. From our study, we found that no significant differences were found between FF and FFF beams for measurements using PerFRACTION™ and ion chamber. Overall, PerFRACTION™ produces acceptable results to be used for commissioning and validating VMAT and for performing PSQA. The findings support the feasibility of integrating PerFRACTION™ into routine quality assurance procedures for VMAT delivery. Further multi-institutional studies are recommended to establish global baseline values and enhance the understanding of PerFRACTION™'s capabilities in diverse clinical settings.