Implementation of advanced radiotherapy technology to improve clinical outcomes in rural NSW.

PROBLEM: Availability of advanced radiotherapy technology to treat cancer is limited in regional Australia. At Central West Cancer Care Centre, the utilisation rate of intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy was significantly lower compared to other NSW public health services. Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy treatment was not available at Central West Cancer Care Centre. DESIGN: To increase the intensity-modulated radiotherapy/volumetric modulated arc therapy utilisation rate and to make stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy treatment available through quality improvement projects with multi-disciplinary collaboration. SETTING: Central West Cancer Care Centre is part of Western NSW Local health District. Central West Cancer Care Centre has two linear accelerators for delivering intensity-modulated radiotherapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy and stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy treatments, and a computed tomography simulator with 4D computed tomography capability. KEY MEASURES FOR IMPROVEMENT: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy/volumetric modulated arc therapy utilisation rate increases to > 65% Stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy available to Central West Cancer Care Centre patients STRATEGY FOR CHANGE: A multi-disciplinary active of team radiation oncologists, medical physics specialists and radiation therapists developed an implementation plan for each treatment technique. EFFECT OF CHANGE: There was a significant increase in use of advanced techniques. The impact on patients included the following: Fewer side effects and improved control of disease as the advanced techniques directed the dose to the tumour and reduced the radiation dose to organ at risk. Treatment completed sooner than conventional radiotherapy, as the required dose required fewer trips to the hospital. Rural and remote patients were not required to travel to a metropolitan centre to have stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy treatment. LESSONS LEARNT: Strong commitment from a trained team and a collaborative approach is important for the implementation of advanced technology in regional centres.

Correcting vortex splitting in higher order vortex beams.

We demonstrate a general method for the first order compensation of singularity splitting in a vortex beam at a single plane. By superimposing multiple forked holograms on the SLM used to generate the vortex beam, we are able to compensate vortex splitting and generate beams with desired phase singularities of order ℓ = 0, 1, 2, and 3 in one plane. We then extend this method by application of a radial phase, in order to simultaneously compensate the observed vortex splitting at two planes (near and far field) for an ℓ = 2 beam.

Gap surface plasmon waveguides with enhanced integration and functionality.

We propose and investigate theoretically and experimentally L-shaped gap surface plasmon waveguides (L-GSPWs) formed by a dielectric film (strip) partially enclosed between two metal films. The proposed L-GSPWs combine the benefits of strong plasmon localization in a nanogap, significant propagation distance, low cross-talk between two neighboring waveguides, high transmission through a sharp 90° bend, and simplicity of fabrication by means of the standard lithography combined with the thin film deposition.