Course overview
This course aims to provide students with Radiation Therapy specific theory and knowledge of treatment principles prior to an initial clinical placement. Content includes: introduction to cancer: review of epidemiology, pathology and staging of malignancy; principles and modalities of cancer treatment; nomenclature and terminology; treatment chart documentation, basic technical skills and land-marking; palliation: metastatic disease; palliative treatment techniques; whole brain and emergency radiation therapy treatment; breast cancer and treatment techniques; simple planning techniques and basic dosimetry calculations; imaging for diagnosis, digital imaging and PACS; staging and planning; introduction to dose and fractionation and application of radiobiology knowledge; cancer patients and grief; national protocols published on safety and quality in health care.