Strahlentherapie und Onkologie最新文献

{"title":"Current practices in peer review in German radiation oncology: a nationwide survey.","authors":"Andrea Baehr, Maja Guberina, Philipp Ernst, Kilian Koch, Marion Juretko, Ursula Nestle, Maximilian Grohmann","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02444-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02444-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Clinical peer review (PR) is a structured process in which medical professionals evaluate the quality of their colleagues' work to ensure compliance with healthcare standards. In radiation oncology (RO), intra-institutional PR has become established as a key quality assurance (QA) measure to improve treatment safety and effectiveness. While various guidelines and recommendations exist internationally, no uniform PR framework for radiation treatment decision-making and planning has been defined in Germany.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to provide an overview of current PR practices in German RO departments, assess the degree of implementation of recommended PR measures, and identify areas for improvement.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A digital survey among RO specialists was conducted from January 7 to February 7, 2025. The survey included structured questions on PR implementation, participation of different professional groups, timing, documentation, and technological infrastructure. Free-text fields allowed for additional insights. The collected data were analyzed descriptively.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 51 complete questionnaires-mainly from academic centers-were evaluated. Here, PR was widely implemented, particularly involving physicians and medical physicists, with 86% of departments performing case discussions and 82% PR of plans before the first radiation session. Most participants reported that PR effectively supports treatment planning and safety. However, PR for target delineation and image fusion was only implemented in 41% of cases. The inclusion of RTTs, nurses, and radiologists was rare. Documentation of PR processes, particularly attendance tracking and implementation of recommended changes, was inconsistent. Time constraints, personnel shortages, and high patient volume were the most frequently reported barriers to continuous PR.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>While PR seems to be an integral part of radiation therapy in Germany, its structure and implementation throughout centers need to be elucidated. While some aspects, such as pre-therapeutic PR, are well established in our cohort, gaps remain in the integration of multidisciplinary teams, structured documentation, and contouring reviews. Further discussions within the German RO community and the development of national recommendations could help to standardize PR processes and improve their efficiency and effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144699563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis and stress-test of the spatial accessibility to German radiation oncology centers.","authors":"Christoph Straube, Daniel Medenwald, Tim Holthaus","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02435-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00066-025-02435-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Radiation therapy (RT) is a crucial component of cancer care. However, access to RT services varies significantly across regions. This study aims to assess and stress-test the geospatial distribution of radiation oncology centers (ROCs) in Germany.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Geospatial analysis was used to calculate travel times and distances and to calculate regional RT demand. A regional network analysis was also conducted. Simulation of local ROC closure and recalculation was conducted to stress-test the remaining RT capacities, resulting in a redistribution network analysis (ReDNA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>While some regions have a higher concentration of ROCs than others, the average ROC usually serves a population of approximately 238,185 inhabitants. In urban regions, the average travel time to the nearest ROC was 7.9 min, compared to 11.4 min in rural regions. However, the heterogeneity increases when considering the second- or third-closest ROC, especially in rural regions. The regional ReDNA identified regions with high vulnerability to local ROC disruption. In these areas, the closure of a single ROC probably leads to significant increases in travel times for patients. Inhabitants of cities/towns in rural regions are specifically dependent on the serviceability of their ROC, with a relative increase in travel time by 171.9% if the currently nearest ROC is closed.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>For the first time, this study investigates the supply of RT services on a national level. The spatial accessibility of RT services is analyzed by regional types as well as by federal states. The novel ReDNA approach allows regions with potential vulnerabilities to be identified, resulting in a framework for stress-testing RT supply on a national level.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This research provides valuable insights into the spatial accessibility and vulnerability of radiation oncology services in Germany. Additionally, the methodology can also serve as a stress test and be applied to other regions and healthcare specialties to improve healthcare planning and patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144699562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessing the quality of radiation oncology education in four German medical schools: a student perspective and comparison with DEGRO recommendations.","authors":"Philipp Linde, Frauke Lang, Christiane Matuschek, Marsha Schlenter, Davide Scafa, Judith Neuwahl, Matthias Mäurer, Michael Oertel, Hendrik Dapper, Emmanouil Fokas, Marie Klein, Christian Baues","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02442-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02442-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The increasing importance of radiation oncology (RO) education worldwide drives a need for modernization of university curricula, particularly in anticipation of the new Licensing Regulation for Physicians (Ärztliche Approbationsordnung, ÄApprO) in Germany. This study evaluates RO education at four German medical schools and compares student perspectives with the recommendations of the academic radiation oncology consortium of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Radioonkologie, DEGRO) in order to highlight gaps and opportunities for curriculum improvement.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey was conducted among medical students from the universities in Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf (ABCD) from January to June 2022. The standardized digital questionnaire included 31 questions (Likert scale and open-ended items) assessing teaching quality, learning formats, and practical relevance. Descriptive and thematic analyses were performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 152 fully completed surveys were analyzed. Most students (76%) reported the use of clinical case examples, but only 13% had direct patient contact. Small-group teaching and hybrid learning formats were preferred. ABCD students emphasized the need for clearer learning objectives and improved differentiation of RO from related disciplines. While 50% supported increased semester hours, opinions were divided. Findings were largely consistent with DEGRO's recommendations, though discrepancies were observed in the organization of RO within medical curricula.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study identified key areas for improving RO education, including clearer learning objectives, more interactive and clinically relevant teaching, and increased opportunities for hands-on experience. Integrating these student-informed recommendations into future curriculum reforms may enhance training quality, promote engagement, and support interest in RO as a career.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144675707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From radiation beams to digital streams: social media engagement of German radiotherapy facilities.","authors":"Fatima Zahra Ouahmane, Ann-Katrin Exeli, Linda Agolli, Daniel Habermehl","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02439-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02439-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Social media (SoMe) increasingly impacts communication in the healthcare sector. Despite its growing relevance, there is limited research on how these institutions utilize SoMe for their purposes. We conducted a descriptive analysis with the aim of evaluating the presence, frequency, and content focus of SoMe activities of German radiotherapy institutions.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study analyzed SoMe activities of German radiotherapy institutions. Institutions were identified using selected keywords, and their presence on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook was recorded. The analysis assessed platform activity, posting frequency, content categories, and follower distribution, distinguishing between hospital and medical care center types, over a 6-month period. Contents were categorized into six themes, including clinical updates, research, events, job postings, education, and team news.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The analysis showed that a total of 24% of German radiotherapy institutions had active social media profiles, with university and larger hospitals being more active than smaller practices or medical care centers (MVZ, medizinische Versorgungszentren). The majority of content focused on events and announcements (34%), followed by health awareness and education (19%), research findings (16%), and team news (15%). Job postings (8%) and clinical updates (7%) were less frequently shared. Instagram has the largest follower share (46%), but LinkedIn remains the most active platform, accounting for 86% of posts.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>LinkedIn emerges as the leading platform for institutional presence, engagement, and content distribution, with a strong focus on events, scientific studies, and team news; while Instagram leads in follower count, LinkedIn dominates in posting activity.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144660228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intra-adaptational changes in online adaptive radiotherapy: from the ideal to the real dose.","authors":"Hanna Malygina, Hendrik Auerbach, Marc Ries, Frank Nuesken, Bryan Salazar Zuniga, Sobhan Moumeniahangar, Florian Oeschger, Markus Hecht, Jan Palm, Yvonne Dzierma","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02425-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02425-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Online adaptive radiotherapy has demonstrated dosimetric benefits by accounting for interfractional organ variations. However, this study investigates the dosimetric impact of intra-adaptational anatomical changes that take place during the adaptation process.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our retrospective analysis was conducted on 155 fractions from 8 prostate cancer patients treated with adaptive radiotherapy using the Varian Ethos system (Varian, Palo Alto, California, USA). Various dose-volume metrics for the targets and organs at risk were assessed for (1) the non-adapted (an original plan on a pretreatment cone-beam CT [CBCT], acquired at the beginning of a treatment session), (2) the adapted (an adapted plan on a pretreatment CBCT), and (3) the delivered dose distributions (an adapted plan on a pre-irradiation CBCT acquired for patient position verification with recontoured organs).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>For the target metrics, we quantitatively proved that the delivered dose distribution was still beneficial in comparison to the non-adapted one, despite the anatomical changes during the adaptation process. The bladder dose-volume metrics strongly depended on the bladder volume variations across the planning CT and both CBCTs, frequently showing improvement during the adaptation process as the bladder continued to fill. In contrast, no clear trend was observed for the rectum or posterior rectum wall metrics. In only a small fraction of sessions (up to 5% for most metrics) were the metric objectives not achieved with the delivered dose while they were achieved with the adapted one. Physiological reasons for these occurrences stemmed from meteorism occurring between pretreatment and pre-irradiation CBCTs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study confirms that the dosimetric advantages of online adaptive radiotherapy persist in clinical practice, despite anatomical changes due to the time delay needed for the adaptation process.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Immune-sparing potential of isocentric lateral decubitus positioning in adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy.","authors":"Cezara Cheptea, Youlia Kirova, Pierre Loap","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02441-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02441-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lymphocytes are among the most radiosensitive cell types, and low-dose exposure during radiotherapy has been associated with measurable immune suppression. In breast cancer treatment, systemic immune exposure is partly driven by irradiation of highly vascularized organs such as the heart, lungs, and liver. The axillary lymph nodes also play a critical role in initiating antitumor immune responses. Isocentric lateral decubitus (ILD) positioning, by modifying the beam orientation, may reduce incidental exposure to these immune-related structures. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of ILD to spare both circulating immune cells and axillary lymph nodes compared to standard supine positioning during whole-breast irradiation (WBI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Eight patients with localized breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and adjuvant WBI (without nodal irradiation) were included in this retrospective dosimetric study. Each patient underwent CT simulation and treatment planning in both supine and ILD positions. The estimated dose to circulating immune cells (EDIC) was calculated using a model based on mean doses to the lungs, heart, liver, and whole body. The level I axillary region was retrospectively contoured, and both the mean dose and D95 were extracted. Dosimetric comparisons between positions were performed using paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Isocentric lateral decubitus positioning significantly reduced the EDIC compared to the supine position (median 0.56 Gy vs. 1.12 Gy; p < 0.01). Lung, heart, and liver doses were also significantly lower. The axillary dose was reduced, with the mean dose decreasing from 10.2 to 3.8 Gy (p = 0.016) and D95% from 0.82 to 0.35 Gy (p = 0.039).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Isocentric lateral decubitus positioning significantly reduces both systemic and regional immune irradiation during adjuvant WBI. These findings suggest that ILD may help to preserve immune function, particularly in immunogenic subtypes such as triple-negative breast cancer, and support its consideration in treatment planning when nodal irradiation is not indicated.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144643602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Accelerated vs. conventionally fractionated postoperative radiotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer-final results of the prematurely terminated PORTAF trial.","authors":"Rebecca Bütof, Lydia Koi, Steffen Löck, Steffen Appold, Steffen Drewes, Dirk Koschel, Jörg Kotzerke, Ursula Nestle, Sonja Adebahr, Daniel Zips, Frank Heinzelmann, Thomas Hehr, Dagmar Bucher, Jürgen Heide, Claus Belka, Farkhad Manapov, Ewa Wasilewska-Tesluk, Jochen Fleckenstein, Mechthild Krause, Esther G C Troost, Michael Baumann","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02422-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02422-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>A prolonged overall treatment time (OTT) has been demonstrated to adversely affect the primary radiation therapy (RT) outcome in various solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Retrospective data from our group suggested an advantage of shorter OTT also for postoperative RT (PORT) in patients with NSCLC. The PORTAF trial (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02189967) was initiated to prospectively test this hypothesis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The multicenter prospective randomized phase II trial in patients with NSCLC investigated whether an accelerated schedule of PORT (7 fractions per week, 2 Gy per fraction, OTT 3.5-4 weeks) improved outcome compared to conventional fractionation (5 fractions per week, 2 Gy per fraction, OTT 5-6 weeks). Target volumes and total radiation doses were stratified in both treatment arms based on individual risk factors. Primary endpoint of the study was locoregional tumor control (LRTC) 36 months after PORT, with 154 patients to be included in each arm.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Due to slow accrual and changed indications for PORT, we prematurely closed the trial in 2019. Between 2014 and 2019, eight recruiting centers included 27 evaluable patients. An interim safety analysis performed for the first 21 patients showed nonsignificant differences regarding grade 3 toxicities between the treatment arms, thus not meeting the termination criteria. LRTC was not significantly different between accelerated (73%) and conventionally fractionated RT (92%; p = 0.535). Noteworthily, in 21 FDG-PET/CT restagings before RT, an unexpectedly high number of locoregional recurrences (n = 4) and distant metastases (n = 2) were seen, resulting in changed treatment intentions for these patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The prematurely closed PORTAF trial did not find significant differences in 3‑year LRTC when comparing accelerated versus conventionally fractionated irradiation. The observed additional benefit of FDG-PET/CT restaging prior to PORT should be further investigated in a larger cohort to optimize patient selection and avoid unnecessary side-effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144638129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incidence of radiation necrosis following different radiotherapy fractionation schedules for intracranial meningiomas.","authors":"M Palička, A M de Jong, S David, M Rybář, J Jackaninová, L Knybel, Š Reguli, T Blažek, S Tomoszková, J J C Verhoeff, J Cvek","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02432-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02432-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and purpose: </strong>Radiotherapy (RT) may be a safe alternative to surgery for selected intracranial meningiomas, particularly in eloquent or high-risk surgical locations. Reported studies of stereotactic RT have utilized stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hFSRT), or conventional radiotherapy. This retrospective study aimed to compare toxicity in a large international cohort.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A total of 473 consecutive patients were treated for intracranial meningioma at two radiation oncology clinics. The patients underwent various treatment modalities, including stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (hFSRT, 2-5 fractions), or normofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (nFSRT, 28-30 fractions) using CT-linac or Cyberknife radiation techniques. The evaluation of potential brain edema and radiation necrosis (RN) was conducted using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Radiation-induced brain edema occurred in 11.0% of patients, including 4.9% with symptomatic edema requiring corticosteroid therapy, and 4.0% of patients developed radiation necrosis. Despite a smaller irradiated tumor volume, the risk of radiation-related toxicity was higher with SRS compared to hFSRT and nFSRT, for both brain edema (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.10, 95% confidence interval (CI; 2.02; 8.26), p < 0.001) and RN (HR = 11.07, 95% CI (2.65; 46.24), p < 0.001). Cox regression showed a 33 and 28% increased risk of brain edema and RN per 1 cm³ of tumor volume (HR = 1.33, 95% CI (1.21; 1.46), p < 0.001 and HR = 1.28, 95% CI (1.13; 1.46), p < 0.001). For tumor volumes above the median (2.05 cm³), the risk of toxicity following SRS was significantly higher for edema (HR = 9.70, 95% CI (2.90; 32.40), p < 0.001) and RN (HR = 13.34, 95% CI (1.73; 102.80), p = 0.013).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Stereotactic radiotherapy and radiosurgery are safe treatment options for intracranial meningiomas. However, our data indicate a significantly increased risk of radiation necrosis and edema after SRS for tumors larger than 2 cm³ (diameter > 1.55 cm). This study also highlights the safety of both nFSRT and hFSRT in the treatment of larger tumors, supporting treatment selection based on tumor volume.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144584881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"[Simulation-free radiation therapy in palliative care].","authors":"Maike Rosendahl","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02436-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00066-025-02436-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144561188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Defining the student perspective on radiation oncology-an analysis of factors influencing medical students' decisions for specialized training.","authors":"Stefan Gravemeyer, Dogus Darici, David Rene Steike, Martina Schmitz, Hans Th Eich, Michael Oertel","doi":"10.1007/s00066-025-02396-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00066-025-02396-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The new Medical Licensing Regulations 2025 in Germany demand a longitudinal and interdisciplinary oncological curriculum for the future of medical education. Small disciplines like radiation oncology (RO) tend to be underrepresented in the general curriculum, which complicates attracting new residents and doctoral candidates to the field. To bridge this gap, our university successfully implemented a multidisciplinary training for preclinical semesters combining anatomical and RO knowledge. The following study addresses students' perceptions of RO and learning success in the setting of a mandatory preclinical course.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A quantitative single-center cross-sectional study with 106 students was conducted via online questionnaire before and after a 1-week semester course in anatomy and RO. The analysis was conceptualized using descriptive statistical methods and the expectancy-value model according to Eccles and Wigfield.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 106 (73 female, 33 male) students with a mean age of 21.8 years took part in the first survey. Advanced courses during finals and gender had no effect on interest in RO. However, it could be shown that the understanding of RO (p < 0.0001), knowledge about patients who need to be referred to RO (p < 0.0001), and the interest in specialty training in RO (p < 0.0001) significantly increased during the course. The students' perceptions of specialty training in RO remained stable before and after the course.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This is the first study on the influence factors for students' decisions to pursue a specialized training in RO. Students' expectations regarding a good specialty training are well represented in RO, and the implementation of preclinical courses significantly increases the knowledge about RO and the level of interest regarding a specialty training in RO.</p>","PeriodicalId":21998,"journal":{"name":"Strahlentherapie und Onkologie","volume":" ","pages":"732-738"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12181201/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144015431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}