Technical and relational aspects in the radiotherapy path of pediatric patients with ependymoma.

Abstract

Ependymoma is a rare brain tumor that affects approximately 0.26 per 100,000 children aged 0 to 14 years. The treatment of choice is surgery followed by radiotherapy. The success of the radiotherapy treatment is given by a good psychological condition of the child and the ability of the Radiology Technician to create effective communication and a relationship of trust. The study demonstrates the importance of new training courses to increase the hard and soft skills of the radiology technician's core competence. The analysis was performed at Salerno Hospital, in the period between January and July 2022, on five pediatric patients aged between 18 months and 17 years affected by grade III ependymoma and treated with VMAT Radiotherapy according to the SIOP protocol Ependymoma II randomized in stratum 1. Two children were treated in narcosis. The systematic and random errors produced during the positioning phase were estimated on the analysis of the shifts occurred during the treatments. The core competence of the Radiology Technician was supported by an effective communication and the formation of a relationship of trust, to obtain maximum collaboration from the pediatric patient and consequently achieve optimal results, even in treatments without anesthesia.