An approach to assess real workload of medical linear accelerators in Sri Lanka

Due to the introduction of new radiotherapy treatment techniques and the increased number of cancer patients, there is a higher possibility of redundant workload on radiotherapy machines. Therefore, this study aims to assess the workload in three linear accelerator units. An 8-week survey was conducted in the selected three units, during which all treatment parameters were accumulated. The highest number of treatment sessions per week and highest weekly workload of dose at the isocenter were reported as 465 ± 24 and 1295 ± 93 Gy, respectively in the Varian unit at Apeksha Hospital. The cardinal angle was identified as the 00-300 range in all selected units. The modulation factors for the intensity modulated radiotherapy techniques showed significant variations among the three units. The estimated real weekly workload is quite high compared to previous studies. This study recommends conducting at least a one-year survey, considering all parameters, to obtain more reliable results.