IOMP Webinar: Physics and Technology for cancer care – Meet the IOMP Corporate Members
Tuesday, 12th September 2023 at 12 pm GMT; Duration 1 hour
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Organizer: Magdalena Stoeva
Moderator: Ibrahim Duhaini
Speakers: Axel Hoffmann (PTW) & Alexander Pegram (RadFormation)
Topic 1: PTW and VERIQA RT EPID 3D as the Approach to EPID Dosimetry
Axel Hoffmann
Sales Director, PTW, Freiburg, Germany
Education:
09/1969 – 07/1977 Polytecnic Secondary School, Basic Education in Lauta, Germany
09/1977 – 07/1981 Extended Secondary school, Hoyerswerda, Germany
10/1984– 02/1989 Ilmenau Technical University, Ilmenau, Germany. Technical and Biomedical Cybernetics; Biomedical Engineering; Master of Science.
Professional:
02/1989 – 02/1991 National Board for Atomic Safety and Radiation Protection (SAAS), Berlin, Germany. Radiation Measurement in Health Physics; Film Dosimetry.
03/1991 – 08/2013 PTW, Freiburg, Germany, Area Sales Manager (Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia)
09/2013 – Present PTW, Freiburg, Germany, Sales Director, Sales Operation
Abstract
PTW is a world-wide leader in dosimetry. We develop, manufacture, and distribute measurement equipment and software for quality assurance as performed in radiotherapy, diagnostic radiology, and metrology.
PTW is over 100 years old and represents a high level of expertise in our business fields.
VERIQA RT EPID 3D is a new PTW software product for EPID patient treatment plan and delivery verification (pre-treatment and in-vivo). The result is a dose distribution in patient anatomy (based on the back-projection algorithm developed by the Netherlands Cancer Institute). The combination of a Monte Carlo algorithm and the EPID images provide a workflow-efficient and highly accurate dose reconstruction.
The pre-treatment verification does not require a phantom (measurement “in air”). Neither a phantom setup nor a re-planning is necessary.
Topic 2: Optimizing Cancer Care with Efficient QA
Alexander Pegram
Alexander “Alex” Pegram, DMP, DABR, received his Professional Doctorate in Medical Physics and Master of Science in Medical Physics from Vanderbilt University. His research focused on risk analysis using System Theoretic Procedures (STPA). He also attained certification in Therapeutic Medical Physics from the American Board of Radiology.
At Vanderbilt, Alex was the Chief Medical Physics Resident, before moving to Sanford Health. As the Chief Physicist there, Alex managed a team across two sites and oversaw the purchase, installation, and commissioning of new equipment, including a TrueBeam. In 2020 Alex started at Radformation, where he is now the Product Manager of RadMachine, the company’s cloud-based Radiation Therapy Machine QA Platform. As an affiliate of AAPM, he is part of a working group on “Ask the Expert.”
Abstract
Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of radiation therapy machines is paramount for patient safety and effective cancer treatment in medical physics. In “Optimizing Cancer Care with Efficient QA,” Alex Pegram, DMP, DABR, delves into RadMachine, an innovative solution for Machine Quality Assurance offered by Radformation. RadMachine streamlines the QA process and enhances treatment precision, enabling physicists to perform more efficient, high-quality QA in less time.
The presentation discusses the clinical and scientific aspects of RadMachine, illustrating its seamless integration with data from therapy machines, imaging devices, and ancillary equipment, and more into a consolidated platform. A sophisticated combination of robust automation and a streamlined, cloud-based platform enables RadMachine to efficiently verify and validate machine parameters, minimizing human errors to maximize patient-centric care.
By optimizing resource allocation and time management, the highest standards of safety and quality for cancer care are met. Coupled with additional solutions for workflow automation from start to finish, this presentation will provide insights into the transformative potential of physics-driven technology in delivering exceptional patient care.