National survey of SRS and SRT practices in Malaysian radiotherapy centres: A medical physics perspective

Abstract

Background and purpose

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) are advanced non-surgical procedures delivering high-dose radiation with precision to small target volumes. This study aims to investigate the current clinical practices of SRS/SRT among Malaysian radiotherapy centres, with a specific focus on the medical physics aspects.

Methods

A web-based survey was conducted using Google Forms, targeting Malaysian radiotherapy centres. The survey gathers data on medical physics practices in SRS/SRT. Questions included aspects such as the centre’s experience, treatment planning, treatment delivery, equipment used, and quality assurance (QA).

Results

A total of 34 responses were received, representing 34 out of 41 radiotherapy centres in Malaysia (83% response rate). The results indicated that practices at some centres, particularly in areas such as treatment simulation and treatment planning, deviate from established guidelines and recommendations. Additionally, several issues were identified, including a shortage of medical physicists, insufficient annual caseloads, inadequate training opportunities for physicists, and limited availability of treatment modalities for SRS.

Conclusions

This study presents the first national survey of SRS/SRT practices in Malaysia, highlighting notable variations in clinical practice and several challenges faced by radiotherapy centres. These findings underscore the need for national standardisation of SRS practices and the development of common guidelines. The data presented may serve as a benchmark for centres to evaluate and optimise their local protocols and as a reference for centres planning to implement SRS services.