Abstract

Radiation therapy uses ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. About half of the patients with cancer are treated with radiation therapy, either alone or in combination with other types of cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or surgery. As with any high technology application, it is not possible to eliminate accident risk during the use of ionizing radiation. Evaluations have shown that most radiation accidents occur due to insufficient training and attention of the staff, or insufficient knowledge of the administrative and/or technical staff about radiation protection and radiation safety regulations. Extensive research and analysis of previously occurring radiation therapy accidents has ensured a greatly reduced risk of subsequent identical accidental exposures. Furthermore, retrospective overview and long term follow-up of patients could be useful to eliminate medical and dosimetric application errors of radiation accidents in the future. In this study some of the accidents that have occurred in radiation therapy units will be overviewed along with their reasons of occurrence, main health consequences and lessons to be derived from these accidents, will be summarized.