CASE STUDY
CONCLUSION In this small series, three abnormal scans were detected, which prompted further investigations for all the patients, resulting in two patients being diagnosed with primary lung cancers requiring radical treatment. The other patient had developed metastatic disease requiring palliative chemotherapy. All three patients had early stage disease at diagnosis and as such, only underwent minimal staging investigations as per The Royal College of Radiologists’ guidelines6
is unjustified, due to the generation of false-positive findings, can create unnecessary anxiety for patients and would increase waiting times to access this service, putting increasing strain on an already over burdened NHS.
Experienced therapeutic radiographers with no
formal CT/radiology training, have demonstrated skills which are extremely useful in identifying abnormalities on routine breast CT planning scans. The case studies highlight the importance of radiographers recognising abnormalities and discussing them with the oncologists on the team, as this can affect patient outcomes. Some universities now offer CT image interpretation and pattern recognition Masters modules for therapeutic radiographers, to help develop their knowledge and skills in this area. It may be of benefit to ensure that radiographers who are involved in CT planning patients undergo further training, either in-house or through such post graduate courses, as this can only be of benefit to patients in the future. Likewise, it is important to ensure that the content of undergraduate radiotherapy courses is reviewed regularly and includes training in CT imaging and the use of networked planning computers. Some courses now also offer virtual environments for radiotherapy training (VERT) to ensure students gain experience in this, alongside their practical placements prior to qualifying.
HOW TO USE THIS ARTICLE FOR CPD . The routine use of CT staging
1. In your department, what learning opportunities are routinely offered to radiographers within CT/pre-treatment in CT imaging/anatomy?
2. Do you compare normal/abnormal CT findings and reflect on potential diagnoses? Is this something you could use to develop an in-house training package for all staff?
QA Code: 34070553
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Josie Cameron, DCR(T), BSc Radiography (Therapy), Pg Dip Radiation Oncology is the Breast Advanced Practitioner, Edinburgh Cancer Centre. She qualified in 1990 and has been in her current post since 2002.
REFERENCES
http://www.sor.org//learning/library- publications/itp
This article has been prepared following local guidance relating to the use of patient data and medical images.
To comment on this article, please write to
editorial@itpmagazine.co.uk
JUNE 2017
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
