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Task Group 000 Workshop:

Radiological Protection

8 April 2025  |  12:00 - 14:00 UTC  |  Virtual Event

 

     

REGISTER HERE

     

Consultation Draft Document

     

Learn More About Task Group 116

 

 

ICRP Task Group 116 has prepared a report that describes the Radiological Protection Aspects of Imaging in Radiotherapy. The report is available for public consultation until 30 May 2025. This workshop addresses important points of the report through presentations by Task Group members. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate through a moderated Q&A session. 

Participants who attend at least 50% of the workshop will receive a Certificate of Attendance via email within 48 hours of the event.

 
Publication Abstract

Dramatic improvements in delivery of patient radiation therapy enable radiation treatment fields to be conformed to any shape of tumour, a trend that began in the latter stages of the twentieth century. External beam radiotherapy linear accelerators (linacs) can potentially limit irradiation induced cell death to the tumour and spare surrounding normal tissue. However, this can only be achieved if the patient is in a position on the treatment couch that corresponds precisely to the treatment plan. This can often only be accomplished through imaging at many, if not all, of the fractions in which treatment is delivered. This process is often referred to as image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Treatments are given to patients on the basis of clinically approved radiation distributions calculated on planning computers using computed tomography (CT) x-ray images. When the patient is set-up for treatment, further images, planar or cone-beam CT, are taken and compared to the planning images. The comparison ensures that differences in patient position, patient anatomy and tumour location between the planning images and those taken on the day of treatment, are clinically insignificant.  Image guidance enables changes in patient anatomy to be monitored and modifications made to treatment plans daily.   Imaging during treatment planning and delivery can also be used to account for motion, with the recording of multiple images through breathing or other motion cycles. However, increased x-ray imaging exposes patients to radiation doses that carry a risk of inducing second primary cancers in tissues surrounding the target volume. This is important because of improvement in long term patient survival with the success of modern therapies and is crucial for paediatric patients. Therefore, reductions in treatment margins and alignment errors that can be realised from IGRT need to be balanced against detriments from higher doses from more frequent imaging. Less effort has been put into optimisation of imaging doses in radiotherapy as they are much lower than those from therapeutic radiation, but imaging irradiates more normal tissues than the treatment beams and the frequency of scanning is much higher than in diagnostic radiology. This report considers all aspects of optimisation for imaging, starting with options available for both planning and delivery, including alternatives using non-ionising radiations, and the frequency with which imaging is carried out during treatment. The optimisation of radiological protection requires teams comprising radiation oncologists, therapy radiographers / radiation technologists and medical physicists and vendors to work together on improving imaging protocols. Consulting colleagues from Diagnostic Radiology departments can be beneficial for reducing dose and improving image quality. Considerable progress has been made in optimisation of radiological protection for diagnostic imaging, based on surveys of patient doses, but few radiotherapy centres record imaging doses.  The awareness of imaging doses needs to be raised, and improvements made in the display of the dose quantities on imaging equipment in radiotherapy to allow calibration and assessment to be performed more readily. Recommendations are included for users, managers, equipment vendors, professional bodies and regulators to facilitate improvements in the application and optimisation of imaging in radiotherapy.

 

PROGRAMME

 

12:00
UTC
    
Imaging Practices in Radiotherapy
Colin Martin (ICRP & University of Glasgow, UK)
12:10
UTC
    
Doses from Imaging Procedures in Radiation Therapy
Jenia Vassileva (IAEA, Austria)
12:20
UTC
    
Application of Justification and Optimisation Principles to Imaging in Radiotherapy
William Small Jr. (ICRP, USA)
12:30
UTC
    
Dose Audits and Dose Reference Levels in Radiotherapy Imaging: The UK Experience
Tim Wood (ICRP & Hull University Teaching Hospitals, UK)
12:50
UTC
    
Experiences in Optimisation of Radiological Protection for Imaging in Radiotherapy
Sebastien Gros (ICRP & Loyola University Medical Center, USA)
13:10
UTC
    
Tackling Imaging for Paediatric Radiotherapy
Thomas Merchant (ICRP, USA)
13:20
UTC
    
Getting It Right: Errors Resulting from Imaging
Aurelie Isambert (ICRP & ASNR, France)
13:30
UTC
    
Potential Impact of Recommendations
Tomas Kron (ICRP & Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia)
13:40
UTC
    
Panel Discussion and Q&A
Panellists: Colin Martin, William Small Jr., Daniel Berger, Sebastien Gros, Auriele Isamert, Stine Korreman, Tomas Kron, Chooksik Lee, Thomas Merchant, N.M. Ung, Jenia Vassileva, Tim Wood
 
 

PROGRAMME

1-2 April 2025  |  12:00 - 14:30 (UTC)  |  Virtual Event

 

Time
(UTC)
  
Day 1: Empowering the Next Generation of Radiological Protection Professionals
   
Moderator: Ämilie Degenhardt (BfS, Germany)
12:00 - 12:15
  
Welcome and Introduction to ICRP

Kelsey Cloutier (ICRP, Canada)
12:15 - 13:15
  
The Diverse World of Radiological Protection Careers
 
Beyond the Lab: Creating Communities and Opportunities in Early Career Science

Ämilie Degenhardt (BfS, Germany)

From Myanmar to Japan: A Researcher’s Journey in Radiation Protection and Beyond

Win Thu Zar (Nagasaki University, Japan)

There is Still Much to be Done - Opportunities for Personal Development and a Career in Radiological Protection From a Personal Perspective

Piotr Pankowski (University of Lodz, Poland)

Softening the Science: Laying Foundational Knowledge of Radiation Protection Principles for Future Generations

Hafsa Essop (University of Pretoria, South Africa)

My Experience as an ICRP Mentee

David Sibenaler (ARPANSA, Australia)

Toward the Development of Future Radiation Protection Field Through Activities of IRPA Young Generation Network

Takahiko Kono (NRA Japan & IRPA YGN Leadership Committee, Japan)
13:15 - 13:45
  
Navigating Career Pathways and Building a Future in Radiological Protection

 

Exploring RP Career Options in Academia, Industry, and Government

Nicole Martinez (Clemson University, USA)

Education of Radiation Professionals for the Future

Tomas Kron (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia)

The ICRP Mentorship Programme and Other Opportunities

Simon Bouffler (UK Health Security Agency, UK)
13:45 - 14:30
  
Panel Discussion & Q&A: Advice for the Next Generation

 

Time
(UTC)
  
Day 2: Collaborating for the Future, an Organizational Approaches to Strengthening Radiological Protection
   
Moderator: Lorenzo Mazzoni (AUSL Toscana Centro & EFOMP, Italy)
12:00 - 12:15
  
Opening Remarks: Why a Unified Effort is Essential

Lorenzo Nicola Mazzoni (AUSL Toscana Centro & EFOMP, Italy)
12:15 - 12:55
  
Organizational Initiatives: What's Being Done Today

 

Attracting, Educating, Developing and Maintaining the Next Generation of RP Professionals

Josep Zic (McMaster University, Canada)

IAEA Initiatives for Supporting the Growth of the Radiological Protection Workforce

Jasminka Joksic (IAEA, Austria)

The Future of Radiation Protection in Germany, Europe, and Beyond

Achim Neuhäuser (BfS, Germany)

China’s Good Practice in Getting Young People Involved Into RP Roles

Hua Li (CIRP & CSRP, China)

EUTERP - The European Foundation for Training & Education in RP

Hielke Freerk Boersma (University of Groningen & EUTERP, Netherlands)
12:55 - 13:25
  
What Needs to Change: Creating a Sustainable Talent Pipeline
 
Developing the RP Workforce of the Future

Pete Bryant (WNTI & University of Liverpool, UK)

Aspiring to Inspire

Julie Burtt (CNSC, Canada)
13:25 - 14:30
  
Panel Discussion & Q&A: How Organizations Can Lead the Charge
14:30
  
Closing Remarks

 

 

SPEAKERS 

 
 
Kelsey Cloutier
ICRP Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Communications, Canada

Kelsey Cloutier has worked in stakeholder engagement and communications for over 10 years, bringing a collaborative, people-focused approach to everything he does. Since joining the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in 2016, he has taken on a wide range of responsibilities, including fundraising, event planning, communications, and general organisational support. A true jack-of-all-trades, he is passionate about building global partnerships that empower the radiological protection community. While not a technical expert, he is a dedicated supporter of the field, committed to helping the incredible people who make up the RP world thrive and succeed.
     
 
Ämilie Degenhardt
ICRP Task Group 121 Mentee & BfS, Germany

Ämilie Degenhardt is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) and a Mentee of Task Group 121. She is passionate about connecting early career scientists and making sure Capitu, her dog, gets enough belly rubs.
     
 
Win Thu Zar
PhD Student in Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Japan

Win Thu Zar is bridging the gap between science and society, connecting cultures, and learning from real-world experiences — whether in the lab, the field, or through conversations that spark new ideas.