Our Team
Meet the dedicated professionals delivering world-class radiotherapy physics services across South West Wales
Our Service Area
Radiotherapy Physics is responsible for providing scientific services to the Radiotherapy Department of the South West Wales Cancer Centre, which serves a population of over 900,000 people across our extensive geographical region.
Service Areas: Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and parts of Powys
Advanced Treatment Techniques
The Centre offers a range of advanced radiotherapy techniques, delivered through the expertise of our specialized teams:
Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT)
Allowing a high dose of radiotherapy to be targeted more closely at the tumour, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue through precise dose modulation and advanced treatment planning.
Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR)
Specialized high-precision treatment for primary lung cancer and oligometastases, delivering ablative doses with sub-millimetre accuracy.
RTP Structure
Our organizational structure ensures comprehensive coverage of all radiotherapy physics functions, with specialized teams working collaboratively to deliver exceptional patient care.
Scientific Computing
Scientific Computing's remit covers involvement in a number of areas throughout the Centre including Clinical Computing, Informatics and all sections within Medical Physics.
Our mission is to provide robust computing support, drive pioneering research, and offer unwavering assistance. We manage our own Oncology Network which sits alongside the general Health Board network but is protected in a firewalled environment.
This independent infrastructure allows us to innovate and deploy new applications, ensuring cutting-edge technology supports our clinical operations.
Treatment Planning
Treatment planning is the process whereby the therapeutic strategy of the radiation oncologist is realised as a set of treatment instructions together with a physical description of the distribution of dose in the patient.
Radiotherapy Physics supports the provision of both reverse and forward planned Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and 3D conformal radiotherapy.
IMRT creates complex radiotherapy treatment plans of multiple beam segments allowing different doses of radiotherapy to be given to different parts of the treatment area. This limits the dose of radiotherapy received by healthy tissue, particularly healthy tissue that's more easily damaged by radiotherapy.
Innovation Spotlight: 3D Printing Revolution
Traditionally, patients receiving head or neck radiotherapy wear a mask, commonly referred to as a shell, crafted from thermoplastic. This mask effectively immobilizes the head and neck, guaranteeing the accuracy of the treatment. However, some cases require the addition of a bolus to optimize radiation delivery.
Previously, these boluses were painstakingly handcrafted from wax, a process prone to imperfections and air gaps. The breakthrough came when our team discovered the potential of 3D printing for bolus production.
These 3D-printed boluses precisely match the treatment plan, ensuring accurate placement and eliminating air gaps. This innovation not only enhances treatment accuracy but also saves valuable staff time, as boluses can now be produced swiftly with the push of a button.
Our Commitment
Our multidisciplinary team combines decades of experience with cutting-edge innovation to ensure that every patient across our extensive service area receives world-class radiotherapy treatment. From initial consultation through treatment completion, our team works collaboratively to deliver personalized, precise, and compassionate care.
Through continuous professional development, research partnerships, and technology advancement, we maintain our position at the forefront of radiotherapy physics, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our patients across South West Wales.