Prog Med Phys.  2021 Dec;32(4):83-91. 10.14316/pmp.2021.32.4.83.

Status of Domestic and International Recommendations for Protection Design and Evaluation of Medical Linear Accelerator Facilities

• Choi SH
• Shin DO
• Shin Ji
• Kwon NH
• Ahn SH
• Kim DW

• KMID: 2524153
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14316/pmp.2021.32.4.83

Abstract

Various types of high-precision radiotherapy, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), tomotherapy (Tomo), and stereotactic body radiation therapy have been available since 1997. After being covered by insurance in 2015, the number of IMRT cases rapidly increased 18-fold from 2011 to 2018 in Korea. IMRT, which uses a high-beam irradiation monitor unit, requires higher shielding conditions than conventional radiation treatments. However, to date, research on the shielding of facilities using IMRT and the current understanding of its status are insufficient, and detailed safety regulation procedures have not been established. This study investigated the recommended criteria for the shielding evaluation of facilities using medical linear accelerators (LINACs), including 1) the current status of safety management regulations and systems in domestic and international facilities using medical LINACs and 2) the current status of the recommended standards for safety management in domestic and international facilities using medical LINACs. It is necessary to develop and introduce a safety management system for facilities using LINACs for clinical applications that is suitable for the domestic medical environment and corresponds to the safety management systems for LINACs used overseas.

Keyword

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy; Shielding; Medical safety; Linear accelerator; Monitor unit

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Procedures for enactment of international law on radiation. UNSCEAR, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation; ICRU, International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements; IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency; OECD/NEA, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency; WHO, World Health Organization; ICRP, International Commission on Radiation Protection; ISO, International Organization for Standardization; PAHO, Pan American Health Organization; FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Data from International Commission on Radiological Protection (Recommendations of the ICRP. ICRP publication 130) [10].

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  Fig. 2 Radiation regulation levels and recommended standards in France. ICRP, International Commission on Radiation Protection; IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency; WENRA, Western European Nuclear Regulators Association; HERCA, Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities; ASN, Nuclear Safety Authority; RFS, Fundamental Safety Rules. Data from International Commission on Radiological Protection (Recommendations of the ICRP. ICRP publication 130) [10].

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