Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT)

What were we asked to look at?

Scottish health technology group (SHTG) has been asked to make a recommendation for NHSScotland on the use of Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT), taking into account the clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness, safety and patient experience of SGRT compared with standard laser-based positioning with skin marks/tattoos set-up in patients undergoing external beam radiotherapy.

Why is this important?

SGRT is an advanced, non-invasive technology using 3D cameras to precisely track a patient's surface during radiation treatment, which is intended to improve the accuracy, safety, and efficiency of treatment. 

Radiotherapy equipment in Scotland is centrally funded through the Capital Equipment Replacement Programme (CERP) which is managed by the Technical Specification and Evaluation (TSE) group, a subgroup of the National Cancer Clinical Service Group (Radiotherapy). The TSE group is considering whether SGRT should be made a core requirement for the radiotherapy service in Scotland. Our advice will inform this decision.