Summary and evaluation of the annual conference 2010: Medical progress and radiation protection

At its annual conference 2010, the German Commission on Radiological Protection discussed new developments in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. The Commission attaches great importance to its mission to continuously follow these technological developments so that it can call for the best possible radiation protection of patients and staff.

Presentations and discussions focussed on new developments and problems related to the three central topics of the meeting:

• diagnostic imaging,
• manufacturing and application of radionuclides and
• novel therapies.

The conference included a visit to the heavy-ion therapy unit HIT of Heidelberg University.

At its 248th meeting, the Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) issued a statement on the results of its annual conference 2010, in which it stresses that in the last decade it has commented 46 times on aspects linked to the application of radioactive substances and ionising radiation. It attaches particular importance to radiation protection in the medical sector, especially given that radiation exposure for medical diagnostic purposes is by far the main source of artificial radiation exposure for the population and that this type of exposure has continually increased over the last decades. In light of this, the statements issued by the Commission, and especially the orientation guide for the application of medical imaging techniques, are intended to contribute towards preventing unnecessary medical applications which are not state of the art and towards ensuring that the techniques that are applied are useful to the patient.