Contrôle review n° 185 : Safety in external radiotherapy treatments

Published on 29/11/2009

All publics

The safety of radiotherapy treatments is a major issue for ASN in its role as regulator, just as it is for other players in the health and safety sector, organised around the national radiotherapy action plan executed by the Minister for Health and supervised by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa).

Since 2007, ASN has conducted annual inspections of all radiotherapy centres, with results presented in regional and national inspection reports. ASN has also reinforced regulations by publishing a technical decision on quality management, along with methodology guidelines on quality assurance and risk analysis in radiotherapy. A severity scale, established in cooperation with the French Society of Radiation Oncology (SFRO), can now be used to classify reported events or incidents, providing clearer information
for the public.

Three years after the most recent issue of Contrôle magazine to be devoted to radiation protection for patients1, ASN decided to organize an international conference on “Advances and Challenges in Radiation Protection of Patients” to review the state of measures taken in France (Part I in this issue of Contrôle), to analyse current knowledge on radiotherapy-related risks and to present feedback on risk reduction obtained through various experiences from around the world (Part II).

The various articles presented in this issue of Contrôle magazine, as well as the speeches and oral presentations to be made at the conference and the debates to be held during the two round-table discussions on challenges in radiotherapy and informing patients, will contribute to advances in medical knowledge and help ASN to refine its doctrine and adapt its approach in order to improve the safety of radiotherapy treatments. I thank you for your interest in ASN’s activities.

Jean-Christophe Niel
ASN Director-General
Paris, October 29, 2009

CONTROLE-185-Uk.pdf (PDF - 2.40 Mo )

Date of last update : 03/09/2021