Management of unplanned treatment interruptions in medical radiation therapy

In radiation therapy, the total dose is generally broken down into individual fractions, which are administered over a time period defined in a radiotherapy treatment plan. This approach allows doctors to exploit the different radiobiological repair capacities of tumour cells and healthy body cells so that normal tissue in the irradiated volume is spared. If the planned overall treatment time is extended due to interruptions, for example due to equipment failure, this can have an adverse effect on the treatment objective.

Accordingly, the licensing procedures for the operation of installations for generating ionising radiation and of irradiation facilities for medical applications of radiation require the applicant to describe the measures taken to ensure that, in the event of a technical failure of these irradiation facilities, patients can receive ongoing treatment within the scope of the radiobiological requirements in order to achieve the intended treatment objective.

With a view to enshrining appropriate guidelines for contingency planning in secondary legislation, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) asked the Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) for a recommendation on more-detailed requirements for contingency planning on the basis of current scientific findings.