Every year in early November, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) celebrates National Radiologic Technology Week. It’s an opportunity to recognize the crucial role that medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals play in patient care and safety. The celebration takes place during the week of November 8, which is the day Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered the x-ray in 1895.
Radiologic Technologists (R.T.s) are an integral part of a proton therapy team. They are educated in anatomy, patient positioning, examination techniques and radiation safety, allowing them to perform highly skilled and precise procedures. Most importantly, though, they are on the frontlines of caregiving during treatment, putting the patient’s comfort, safety, and overall experience first.
WHAT IS RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY?
Following Roentgen’s discovery, the x-ray gained popularity as a way to diagnose and treat illness in the early 1900s. The x-ray machine remained the primary tool of medical imaging until the 1960s and 1970s, when newer procedures like computed tomography, mammography and sonography became commonplace in the healthcare industry1. The x-ray is also a traditional tool used for radiation therapy to treat cancer. In the 1950s, however, proton radiation therapy for cancer treatment was introduced. Since then, studies have shown proton therapy avoids unnecessary radiation to nearby healthy tissue and organs, reducing the risk of side effects2. There are now more than 30 proton therapy centers in the United States.
Modern Radiologic Technology covers two main areas – medical imaging and radiation therapy. According to the ASRT, there are several practices in which an R.T. can specialize, including general radiography, computed tomography (CT), mammography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiation therapy and others.
In the medical imaging field, an R.T. is responsible for making sure the patient is properly positioned for a quality diagnostic image. Rad Techs in medical imaging are typically specialists, like Radiographers, Mammographers, Sonographers, MRI techs or CT Techs.
A Radiologic Technologist may also choose the radiation therapy path. Radiation Therapy is the administration of targeted doses of radiation to a patient’s body to treat cancer or other diseases. In this case, an R.T. would be a member of the Radiation Oncology team and could work as a Medical Dosimetrist or Radiation Therapist.
THE BENEFITS OF PROTON RADIATION THERAPY
Proton therapy for cancer treatment has become a trusted method for precisely targeting tumors and reducing the risk of side effects. The advantage of proton therapy is distinct from traditional radiation therapy because the timing and dosage of proton energy can be specifically controlled. Since a proton beam can conform to a tumor’s shape and size, maximum beam energy is deposited directly into the tumor, decreasing the risk of damage to surrounding tissue and organs. Protons have unique characteristics that prevent radiation from traveling beyond the tumor. Contrastingly, traditional radiation therapy deposits energy from x-ray beams along the entire path of the beam. Radiation is absorbed from the time the beam enters the body until it exits on the other side of the tumor area.
Provision develops proton centers that use the most precise form of proton therapy, called pencil beam scanning, which provides even greater customization and precision in cancer treatment. Physicians use a proton beam only millimeters wide to target the tumor area with the highest radiation dose, while controlling both the depth and the position of the beam and planning the exact point at which the proton beam stops inside the body. This means there will be no exit dose, sparing even more healthy tissue and organs from unnecessary radiation.
Proton therapy is beneficial for treating patients with a localized tumor where cancer has not spread to other parts of the body, or in situations where tumors cannot be removed with surgery. It may also be an option if a patient requires radiation therapy in addition to surgery or chemotherapy. We encourage you to speak with a proton-experienced radiation oncologist to find out if proton therapy is right for you.
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Sources & Studies:
- American Society of Radiologic Technologists. History of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. https://www.asrt.org/main/about-asrt/asrt-history
- Baumann BC, Mitra N, Harton JG, Xiao Y, Wojcieszynski AP, Gabriel PE, Zhong H, Geng H, Doucette A, Wei J, O’Dwyer PJ, Bekelman JE, Metz JM. Comparative effectiveness of proton therapy versus photon therapy as part of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for locally advanced cancer. American Society of Clinical Oncology poster session. June 1, 2019.