Swiss Society of Radiobiology and Medical Physics

Working Subgroup for Stereotactic Convergent Beam Irradiations (SCBI)
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Bulletin 1/2000

Bulletin 3/99

Bulletin 1/98

Report of April 1998 / December 1999 / April 2000

Members of the working subgroup:
E. Born, L. Cozzi, S. Gianolini, S. Scheib, P.A. Tercier, D. Vetterli
We would be very happy to hear from anyone interested in joining our group.


Report taken from Bulletin 1/2000 :

Stereotactic Convergent Beam Irradiation (SCBI) in Switzerland
A Status Report - December 1999
presented by the SGSMP Subworking Group SCBI

The following terminology is used within the subworking group SCBI:

  • SCBI: Stereotactic Convergent Beam Irradiation
  • SRT: Stereotactic RadioTherapy
    -- fractionation
    -- stereotactic frame or stereotactic mask system
  • SRS: Stereotactic RadioSurgery
    -- single session
    -- stereotactic frame

In order to collect some data of interest a questionaire has been produced and mailed to medical physicists of all Swiss SCBI centers:

  • Lausanne (CHUV, IRA, Dr. P.-A. Tercier)
  • Bern (Inselspital, Klinik für Radio-Onkologie, Dr. E. Born, Dr. D. Vetterli)
  • Bellinzona (Ospedale San Giovanni, Radioterapie e Medicina Nucleare, Dr. L. Cozzi)
  • Zürich (Universitätsspital, Klinik für Radio-Onkologie, Dr. B. Davis)
  • Zürich (Klinik Im Park, Gamma Knife Zentrum, Dr. S. Scheib)

Four out of five questionaires were returned.

The following items were addressed:

  • Technical Equipment currently used
  • Patients and Indications treated up to 31st of December 1999
  • Irradiation Parameters applied

Please note:

CHUV is currently running both linac based SCBI equipments, the conventional exchangeable (tertiary) collimators and a micro-MLC. For this reason two rows are included in the following tables. Row one represents the conventional collimator, row two the micro-MLC.

Technical equipment currently used:

Patients and Indications treated up to 31st of December 1999:

Irradiation Parameter applied:

On behalf of the SCBI Subworking Group
Dr. Stefan Scheib (Klinik im Park, Zürich)


Report taken from Bulletin 3/99 :

In January 2000 we are looking forward having our 10th subworking group meeting dedicated to stereotactic convergent beam irradiation, also commonly known as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). During the last two years, since the launching of this working subgroup, the initial intention, providing a forum for medical physicist throughout Switzerland working or interested in this field, has become reality and we are looking forward taking an active part in this growing field.

We deeply regret the decease of Prof. Dr. Börje Larsson who really enriched our group with his visionary view in this field, based not only on his own pioneering work and personal experience. The remaining members of our working group at present represent the following centers: IRA/CHUV in Lausanne (P.-A. Tercier), the Division of Medical Radiation Physics of the Inselspital Berne (E. Born, D. Vetterli), the Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Ospedale San Giovanni in Bellinzona (L. Cozzi) and the Klinik Im Park in Zürich (S. Gianolini, S. Scheib).

As already pointed out in an earlier report we combine the discussion of various subjects important in stereotactic irradiations with site visits of the participating centers. During our last meeting in September 1999, which took place in the Klinik Im Park in Zürich we had also a closer look into medical physics and quality assurance aspects of radiosurgical interventions using the Leksell Gamma Knife.

To collect some data of interest a questionaire has been mailed to all Swiss SCBI centers in spring 1998. This questionaire addressed items like technical equipment used, team members involved, patients and indications treated, imaging modalities used, treatment planning and evaluation, irradiation parameter and dosimetry systems used. Based on this questionaire a status report about SCBI in Switzerland has been put together and presented to the working group medical physics in April 1998. We are currently planning an update of this status report because some data have changed. It is planned to publish this updated version of the status report in the forthcoming Bulletin.

An other important issue, which is beeing discussed is the compilation of a Swiss recommendation, or guideline for stereotactic convergent beam irradiation. We are still looking into various recommendations already published or currently under discussion. Due to a link to Dr. H. Czempiel, Munich, we are participating at the "Arbeitskreis Stereotaktische Bestrahlung im DIN", which already compiled a draft for the German Industrial Standards. This draft is called "systems for percutaneous stereotactic irradiation" (latest version November 1999) which will be published the first time end of this year. Based on these recommendations and our own experience we are planning to compile our own recommendation during the next year.

Not forgetting to mention that we would be very happy to hear from anyone interested in joining our working group.

On behalf of the SCBI Subworking Group
Dr. Stefan Scheib (Klinik im Park, Zürich)


Report taken from Bulletin 1/98 :

It is now more than a year since the launching of the working subgroup SCBI took place in January 1997. This group was established within the Medical Physics Working Group. As often in such situations, it was not easy to decide on a name, but in the end one was chosen with the intention of underlining the basic irradiation principle involved in such treatments. The idea of this working group is to provide a forum for medical physicists throughout Switzerland, who are working, or interested, in the field of stereotactic convergent beam irradiations, to share their experience and expertise in this internationally growing field.

Our first meeting in March 1997 was more or less a constitutional meeting, the objectives and future discussion areas of our group were established. We concluded that a variety of subjects concerning stereotactic convergent beam irradiations should be addressed, like quality assurance in stereotactic imaging modalities, target point localisation, dosimetry, treatment planning, dose calculation and dose verification. We decided to start with a status report from each member, to discuss the above mentioned subjects at our second meeting in May 1997. At our third meeting in July 1997 we then discussed problems concerning to relative and absolute dosimetry in stereotactic beam irradiations. At our last meeting in February 1998 Prof. Dr. Börje Larsson presented his view of the early days of stereotactic beam irradiations, followed by a look into the future of treatment modalities now under discussion and evaluation, such as micro beam irradiation, photon activation therapy and BNCT. He argued that there will be a higher demand for precise beam irradiations in the future, due to the improved systemic treatment modalities. During our last meeting, Dr. Luca Cozzi also gave a status report on the procedure for acceptance testing at the stereotactic beam irradiation facility installed in Bellinzona.

On May, 6th we will have our 5th meeting which will take place at the CHUV in Lausanne. Active members of our group at present are the IRA/CHUV in Lausanne, the Division of Medical Radiation Physics of the Inselspital Berne, the Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Ospedale San Giovanni in Bellinzona, the Klinik Im Park in Zurich and Prof. Dr. Börje Larsson. All interested colleagues are welcome to join this group.

Looking ahead, all participants are convinced that there are many subjects worthy of discussion within our group in the near future. From the outset, another aim has been to agree on a Swiss recommendation, or guideline, for stereotactic convergent beam irradiations. To start with we will look at the various recommendations already published, and recommendations currently under discussion in other international organisations at our next meeting. A more practical issue at our next meeting will be the target point localisation.

To reiterate, we would be very happy to hear from anyone interested in joining our group.

Members of the working subgroup:
E. Born, L. Cozzi, S. Gianolini, B. Larsson, S. Scheib, P.A. Tercier, D. Vetterli

Dr. Stefan Scheib (Klinik im Park, Zürich)

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