Acronyms and Glossary
Acronyms
- AACR
- Australasian Association of Cancer Registries
- AHW
- Aboriginal Health Worker
- ACDS
- Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service
- ACHS
- Australia Council of Healthcare Standards
- ACSQHC
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
- ACPSEM
- Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine
- AIHW
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
- AIR
- Australian Institute of Radiography
- ARPANSA
- Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
- BT
- Brachytherapy
- CBCT
- Cone beam computed tomography
- CPD
- Continuing Professional Development
- CT
- Computed tomography
- CTV
- Clinical target volume
- 2D/3D/4D
- 2 dimensional, 3 dimensional, 4 dimensional
- DoHA
- Department of Health and Ageing
- EMR
- Electronic medical record
- FRO
- Faculty of Radiation Oncology, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists
- FTE
- Full Time Equivalent
- GTV
- Gross tumour volume
- IAEA
- International Atomic Energy Agency
- IGRT
- Image guided radiation therapy
- IMRT
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy
- ISO
- International Organisation for Standardisation
- Linac
- Linear accelerator
- MDT
- Multi-disciplinary team
- MLC
- Multileaf collimator
- MRI
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- MRS
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- MSAC
- Medical Services Advisory Committee
- NCCI
- National Cancer Control Initiative
- NHMRC
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- NMDS
- National Minimum Data Set
- NPDP
- National Professional Development Programme
- OH&S
- Occupational health and safety
- OAR
- Organ(s) at risk
- PET
- Positron Emission Tomography
- PTAS
- Patient Travel and Accommodation Scheme
- PTV
- Planning target volume
- QA
- Quality assurance
- QALY
- Quality adjusted life year
- QOL
- Quality of Life
- RANZCR
- Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists
- RCR
- Royal College of Radiologists
- RCT
- Randomised clinical trial
- RO
- Radiation oncologist
- ROHPG
- Radiation Oncology Health Program Grants
- ROJIG
- Radiation Oncology Jurisdictional Implementation Group
- ROMP
- Radiation oncology medical physicist
- RORIC
- Radiation Oncology Reform Implementation Committee
- ROSIS
- Radiation Oncology Safety Information System
- RT
- Radiation therapist
- SBRT
- Stereotactic body radiation therapy
- SPECT
- Single-photon emission computed tomography
- SRS
- Stereotactic radiosurgery
- SRT
- Stereotactic radiotherapy
- 3DCRT
- Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy
- TEAP
- Training Education and Assessment Program
- TROG
- Trans Tasman Radiation Oncology Group
- WHO
- World Health Organisation
Glossary
| Brachytherapy | Brachytherapy is a highly specialised and resource intensive radiotherapy technique. Brachytherapy involves the placement of radioactive sources in, or just next to, a cancer. Unlike external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy may be invasive. During brachytherapy, the radioactive sources may be left in place permanently or only temporarily, depending upon the radioactive isotope employed. Brachytherapy may be used alone or in conjunction with external radiation treatments. |
| Cancer | A diverse group of several hundred diseases. All cancers are characterised by changes to some of the body’s cells which become abnormal and begin to multiply out of control. These abnormal cells can form an invasive (i.e. malignant) tumour. |
| Dosimetry | Dosimetry is used to check that the dose of radiation delivered to the patient is accurate and appropriate. |
| External Beam Radiotherapy | The most common form of radiotherapy, which directs the radiation at the tumour from outside the body. With external beam radiotherapy, the dose is usually delivered by a linear accelerator, which can produce radiation beams from different angles by rotating the accelerator “arm” (the gantry). |
| Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) | Intensity modulated radiation therapy is a radiotherapy technique that allows radiation to be more closely shaped to fit the tumour and spare nearby critical normal tissue. |
| kV imaging | Kilovoltage x-rays used to take films closer to diagnostic quality and for fluoroscopy |
| Linear Accelerator (Linac) |
The device most commonly used for external beam radiation treatments for patients with cancer.The Linac is used to treat all parts/organs of the body. It delivers high-energy x-rays to the region of the patient’s tumor. These x-ray treatments are designed in such a way that they deliver radiation to cancer cells while sparing the surrounding normal tissue.The Linac is used to treat all body sites, using conventional techniques, Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radio Therapy (SBRT). |
| Margin (clinical) | Clinical target volume encompasses the gross tumour or the high risk target volume with a margin to encompass potential microscopic tumour spread. |
| MV images | Megavoltage images (images taken on the Linac) |
| Orthovoltage treatment | See ‘superficial and orthovoltage treatment’ |
| Palliative treatment | Treatment for symptom control, not with a curative intent |
| Radical treatment | Treatment with a curative intent |
| Radiotherapy | A treatment for cancer and a number of non-malignant conditions, which uses highly precise doses of radiation to kill abnormal cells while minimising doses to the surrounding healthy tissue. Radiotherapy has a major positive impact on local cancer control and is a highly effective therapy for control of cancer symptoms such as pain. |
| Radiotherapy utilisation | A percentage of new cancer patients who access radiotherapy treatments.Utilisation is a measure of access to quality radiation oncology services. This Plan uses 2 figures for utilisation: target (optimal) radiotherapy utilisation rate – how many new cancer patients would benefit from radiotherapy; and current (underutilisation). |
| Radiation Oncologist (RO) | A radiation oncologist is a medical specialist who has specific postgraduate training in management of patients with cancer, in particular involving the use of radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) as one aspect of their cancer treatment. They also have expertise in the treatment of non-malignant conditions with radiation therapy.Radiation oncologists work closely with other medical specialists, especially surgeons, medical oncologists and palliative care physicians, as part of a multidisciplinary team caring for patients with cancer. |
| Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist (ROMP) |
A Medical Physicist is a clinician with substantial tertiary qualifications in physics who applies their knowledge of the principles of physics to the care of patients.Radiation oncology medical physics is the application and development of the principles and techniques of physics for the therapeutic use of ionising radiation. |
| Radiation Therapist (RT) |
The Radiation Therapist is an allied health professional who works in the field of radiation oncology. Radiation therapists plan and administer radiation treatments to cancer patients. |
| Radiation Oncology Practice Standards | In 2008, the Tripartite Committee developed the Radiation Oncology Practice Standards with funding and support from the Department of Health and Ageing. The document presents 16 standards developed for Radiation Oncology Practices, to assist facilities to achieve best practice by providing a framework of requirements. |
| Stereotactic treatment |
A highly specialised and complex delivery of external beam radiation therapy called stereotactic radiation uses focused radiation beams targeting a well‐defined tumour, relying on detailed imaging, computerized three‐dimensional treatment planning and precise treatment set‐up to deliver a much higher radiation dose than standard radiotherapy with extreme accuracy. |
| Superficial and orthovoltage treatment | Superficial (SXT) and Orthovoltage (DXT) radiotherapy utilise low energy ionizing radiation to treat cancer and other conditions that occur either on or close to the skin surface. SXT utilises x rayenergies of between 50 and 200 kV, having a treatment range of up to 5mm, and DXT utilises 200 to 500 kV x‐rays penetrating to a useful depth of 4 – 6cm. |
| Target (clinical) | Area where the radiation beams are aimed; usually a tumour, malformation, or other abnormality of the body. |
| Three Dimensional (3D) Imaging | Three-dimensional (3D) Imaging in radiotherapy treatment is localization of the target by comparing a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) dataset with the planning computed tomography (CT) dataset from planning. |
| Treatment Planning |
The process in which a team consisting of radiation oncologists, radiation therapist and medical physicists plan the appropriate external beam radiotherapy or internal brachytherapy treatment technique for a patient with cancer. |