Cancer is becoming an increasing burden in the Latin American and the Caribbean region[1]. IAEA training courses in the area of human health contribute to improving diagnostic and treatment procedures that make use of nuclear technologies.
A training course to strengthen capacity in the Latin American and Caribbean regions took place from 19 – 23 October 2017 in La Havana, Cuba. 36 medical physicists participated in the course from 16 different countries[2]. The course, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and the Agency for Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technologies (AENTA) in Cuba, aimed to improve the quality, safety and effectiveness of modern radiotherapy techniques for the ultimate benefit of cancer patients. The overall objective of this course was to enhance knowledge in the practice of radiotherapy using small fields based on the new IAEA / American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Code of Practice for small field dosimetry. The 'Dosimetry of Small Static Fields Used in External Beam Radiotherapy: An International Code of Practice for Reference and Relative Dose Determination Prepared Jointly by the IAEA and AAPM' was published in November 2017 and is freely downloadable from the IAEA website.
The training course was implemented in collaboration with the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation[3] and the IAEA Division of Human Health (NAHU) under the Regional Cooperation Agreement for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARCAL). One of the objectives of ARCAL is to improve the quantity and quality of existing human resources to advance nuclear technologies (in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer), under good practice conditions and with adequate radiation protection standards. An important project output is the Strengthened Strategy for Information Education and Communication (IEC) on the use of new technologies for diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the region.
