Meeting with a medical physicist who can explain how radiation therapy is planned and delivered reduces patient anxiety and increases patient satisfaction throughout the treatment process, according to a new study published today in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics. Findings of the randomized, prospective phase III clinical trial also will be presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

“This study is a wake-up call for medical physicists that there are new ways we can add value to patient care,” said Todd F. Atwood, PhD, lead author of the study and an associate professor and Senior Associate Division Director of Transformational Clinical Physics at the University of California, San Diego. “It illustrates how care teams can partner more effectively with patients as they make their treatment decisions and navigate the radiation therapy process.”

Medical physicists work with radiation oncologists to ensure complex treatment plans are properly tailored to each patient. They also develop and direct quality control programs to make sure treatments are delivered safely, including performing safety tests on the equipment used in a patient’s treatment.
The new findings suggest that medical physicists also can supplement patient education and potentially improve patient outcomes by reducing patients’ treatment-related stress. “Patients increasingly want to be more involved with their care,” said Dr. Atwood. “They are looking for more information. Typically, they start by searching online, but what they’re finding is either non-specific or just too complex. They have unanswered questions, which often lead to confusion, stress and anxiety.”

Prior studies have shown patient-related stress can negatively impact outcomes after radiation therapy. Dr. Atwood and his colleagues hope that by reducing stress and anxiety related to their treatment, this approach may also contribute to better patient outcomes.

In this study, researchers randomized 66 patients seeking external beam radiation therapy into two treatment arms: one that would receive Physics Direct Patient Care (PDPC) prior to – and throughout – radiation treatment, and one that did not receive PDPC radiation therapy. Patients had different types of primary cancer, most commonly breast, gynecologic or prostate cancer, and most were receiving radiation therapy for the first time.

In addition to traditional care, during which patients only discuss their treatment with their radiation oncologist, the PDPC group received two consultations prior to treatment with a medical physicist who explained the technical aspects of their care – how treatment is planned and delivered, how the radiation therapy technology works and “everything that goes into keeping them safe during treatment,” said Dr. Atwood. The medical physicist remained a resource for patients if additional questions arose at any point throughout the treatment process.

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