Sun Nuclear announced today that Iridium Kankernetwerk has signed on as a reference site for the SunCHECK™ Enterprise Quality Management Platform. Joining leading facilities worldwide in the reference site program, the network will bring invaluable insights to clinical use of SunCHECK for integrated and automated Quality Assurance for Radiation Therapy.
Iridium Kankernetwerk includes several hospitals in the Antwerp region of Belgium (GZA hospital group, ZNA hospital group, UZA, AZ KLINA, AZ Nikolaas, AZ Monica, and AZ St Jozef), with 11 linear accelerators in total. The network includes a staff of 14 Medical Physicists and 5 Physics Assistants, and provides nearly 5,600 radiation therapy treatments each year.
“With the consolidation of four treatment sites into one network, we are implementing the full SunCHECK platform for the benefit of our staff and, most importantly, our patients,” said Dirk Verellen, Ph.D., Director of Medical Physics and Radiotherapy at GZA hospital group. “We were in need of uniform QA processes that could translate across locations and support a mix of equipment and clinical programs. With its web interface, SunCHECK is accessible to all our sites, and its automation features remove manual processes that create inconsistencies and take up valuable clinic time. Standardization is key for safety in a complex environment.”
On the Patient side of the SunCHECK platform, the network is taking advantage of features like automatic retrieval of EPID data and dose calculation to save time during pre-treatment QA and in-vivo monitoring. On the Machine side of the platform, the network will take advantage of comprehensive tools and automated analyses to create a unified Machine QA program among its four sites, which were previously employing a diversity of tests, programs, and documentation.
As a reference site, Iridium Kankernetwerk will support development of best practices for clinical use, advise on ongoing product development, and serve as a regional resource for the rapidly growing community of SunCHECK users. The network will research SunCHECK’s effects on patient safety, clinical workflow and operational efficiency.
Trusted by hundreds of users worldwide, the SunCHECK Platform enables health care enterprises like Iridium Kankernetwerk to streamline and automate their Patient and Machine QA clinical workflows among staff, machines, and across locations. The SunCHECK Patient module encompasses all parts of Patient QA, including secondary checks, phantomless pre-treatment QA, and in-vivo monitoring. PlanCHECK, a new add-on module within SunCHECK Patient, further enhances Patient QA with automated rules-based physics checks and structure-based constraint checks. The SunCHECK Machine module integrates all Machine QA needs, including convenient template-driven comprehensive daily, monthly, annual QA, automated imaging, MLC and VMAT QA, and data trending.
“We look forward to collaborating further with Iridium Kankernetwerk,” noted Jeff Simon, CEO of Sun Nuclear, “and are eager to hear their findings on how SunCHECK has positively impacted their workflow, patient safety, and operations. As an important research group, the network will be an influential partner in future product enhancements to continually improve workflow and patient safety in Radiation Therapy.”
About Iridium Kankernetwerk
Iridium Kankernetwerk unifies all radiotherapy services in the region to provide optimal care for patients from the Greater Antwerp and Waasland in Belgium. With a multidisciplinary approach, doctors, nurses and an extensive support team strive for the optimal diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care of each individual patient.
About Sun Nuclear Corporation
Sun Nuclear is the worldwide leader in QA and dosimetry solutions for Radiation Oncology. We design and manufacture devices and software for delivery systems and patient prescription verification. We hold numerous patents for groundbreaking product designs, and distribute solutions globally, both directly and through a network of 60+ distributors. Gammex, a leader in laser alignment technology and QA tools for the diagnostic radiology field, is a wholly-owned subsidiary. Visit us: sunnuclear.com. Follow us: @sunnuclear.