Case Report: Education and training of RTTs for radiation oncology departments in Russia.

Modern radiotherapy is performed with sophisticated equipment that requires highly qualified professionals. In the Russian Federation the responsibilities of Radiation Therapy Technologists (RTTs) are carried out by medical nurses who receive on-the-job training. The article discusses the problems of RTT education and training, describes our own teaching experience and suggests further development for the national RTT education system in Russia.

Antitumor efficacy of combined gene and radiotherapy in animals.

Antitumor efficacy of the combined suicide gene therapy and radiotherapy was studied on the model of CT26 murine colon adenocarcinoma. CMV-FCU1-IRES-mGM-CSF-pGL3 construct with PEG-PEI-TAT (FCU1-mGM/5-FC) block copolymer as a vector was used for intratumoral administration. Tumors were irradiated with a single 5 Gy dose. The efficacy was evaluated according to the grade of tumor growth inhibition (T/C) and lifespan of the animals. Pronounced antitumor activity of the combined use of FCU1-mGM/5-FC system with radiotherapy on the background of prolonged lifespan and the synergism of the applied methods was revealed.