Some women with ovarian cancer may benefit from radiation therapy for symptomatic relief and palliation of metastatic or recurrent disease (Jiang et al. 2018). In selected cases, radiation may also be considered as part of primary treatment.

Timeframe for starting treatment

Radiation therapy should begin within four weeks of the MDM.

Training and experience required of the appropriate specialists

Radiation oncologist (FRANZCR or equivalent) with adequate training and experience that enables institutional credentialing and agreed scope of practice within this area. The radiation oncologist must also be a core member of a gynaecological oncology multidisciplinary team.

The training and experience of the radiation oncologist should be documented.

Health service unit characteristics

To provide safe and quality care for patients having radiation therapy, health services should have these features:

• linear accelerator (LINAC) capable of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
• dedicated CT planning
• access to MRI and PET imaging
• automatic record-verify of all radiation treatments delivered
• a treatment planning system
• trained medical physicists, radiation therapists and nurses with radiation therapy experience
• coordination for combined therapy with systemic therapy, especially where facilities are not co-located
• participation in Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service audits
• an incident management system linked with a quality management system