ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S2947

Interdiscplinary - Other

ESTRO 2024

radiotherapy can be expected to have a significant share in the national footprint, although this has not yet been well researched (Monitor Oncologische Zorg, n.d.). It is important to conduct research to measure climate and environmental impacts and develop and implement environmental mitigation measures of specific care pathways, such as cancer care and radiotherapy in particular. The aim of this study is to identify the currently implemented mitigation measures and opportunities for future mitigation measures by investigating the perceptions and experiences of Dutch radiotherapy staff.

Material/Methods:

Two semi-structured focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted on a heterogeneous group of radiotherapy employees, working on or interested in environmental mitigation (N=13). A combination of inductive and deductive analysis was applied in coding. Data was thematically analyzed based on themes of the Green Deal Working together towards sustainable healthcare (GDDZ 3.0) by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.

Results:

Few truly impactful measures have been implemented by the included radiotherapy departments. Most of the currently applied measures are focused on circularity, the theme to which radiotherapy is estimated to contribute little. Analysis of the future mitigation measures resulted in a total of 20 subthemes within the 5 themes of the GDDZ 3.0. The GDDZ 3.0 theme ‘Increasing awareness and knowledge’ was found to be the most important by the participants, as this forms the basis of sustainability. CO2 emissions are estimated to be the largest source of environmental impact by radiotherapy, compared to resource use and the impact of medication. Therefore, the second most important theme was found to be ‘Reducing CO2 emissions’. Most of the CO2 emissions probably come from patient travel and equipment power consumption.

Conclusion:

Sustainability in radiotherapy is still in its infancy but can and should soon have a significant impact by applying hypofractionation to reduce patient travel emissions. It is also important to lay a foundation in sustainability by including sustainability in policy, increasing national and international cooperation and knowledge sharing, and facilitating Green Teams. At the same time, more research is urgently needed to calculate the exact impact of radiotherapy, upon which informed mitigation measures can be developed.

Keywords: sustainability, environmental mitigation, climate

References:

Monitor oncologische zorg. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://iknl.nl/monitor

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