Probabilistic safety assessment of the radiotherapy treatment with a linear accelerator for medical use

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of the Probabilistic Safety Assessment to the radiotherapy treatment with an Electron Linear Accelerator for Medical Use, which was conducted in the framework of the Iberian-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies. Potential accident...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Juan José Vilaragut Llanes, Manuel Rodríguez Martí, Pedro Ortiz López
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Centro de Gestión de la Información y Desarrollo de la Energía (CUBAENERGIA) 2010-07-01
Series:Nucleus
Subjects:
Online Access:http://nucleus.cubaenergia.cu/index.php/nucleus/article/view/537
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of the Probabilistic Safety Assessment to the radiotherapy treatment with an Electron Linear Accelerator for Medical Use, which was conducted in the framework of the Iberian-American Forum of Radiological and Nuclear Regulatory Agencies. Potential accidental exposures during the treatment of patients, workers and members of the public were assessed, although the study was mainly focused on patients. The methodology of failure modes and effects analysis was used to define accident initiating events and methods of event tree and fault tree analysis to determine the accident sequences that may occur. After quantifying the frequency of occurrence of the accident sequences, an important analysis was carried out in order to determine the most significant events from the point of view of safety. The major contributors to risk were identified as well as the most appropriate safety recommendations to reduce it.
ISSN:0864-084X
2075-5635