Remote radiation therapy planning delivering world-class cancer care anywhere, anytime

Transforming future healthcare

General Manager for Icon plan, Huong Nguyen says the ability to plan and deliver radiation therapy remotely can help solve the growing global cancer burden.

“In regions where access to specialised radiation therapy expertise is limited, we’re able to fill that gap and provide effective support,” said Huong.

“The ability to plan treatments remotely is not just a convenience, it’s a game-changer – it breaks down geographic barriers, reduces strain on clinical teams and allows patients greater access to world-class care, anywhere, anytime.”

Key features of Icon’s remote planning

• Global access to specialised expertise
  Icon’s remote planning service connects patients and healthcare professionals to a team of highly skilled and specialised radiation therapists and dosimetrists. This allows smaller or regional cancer centres, especially in remote or underserved areas, to tap into the knowledge of Icon’s world-leading professionals. Patients benefit from the expertise of a multidisciplinary team, even if that team is halfway across the globe.
• Timely and efficient treatment plans
  Time is crucial when it comes to cancer treatment, and remote planning allows for faster plan development and review. Using Icon’s secure, cloud-based systems, clinicians can collaborate across multiple locations and time zones to develop treatment plans with speed and precision. This reduces delays in starting treatment, which can be critical for patient outcomes.

Recent data found the Icon remote plan team finalised plans 66% faster than onsite planning reducing the time between a patient’s simulation (scans) and first day of treatment.

• Standardised quality assurance
  Icon’s planning processes adhere to stringent quality assurance protocols to ensure that all treatment plans meet international standards. Remote collaboration enables real-time reviews and cross-checking by experts in various locations, reducing the risk of errors and improving treatment accuracy and patient outcomes.
• Seamless integration with local teams
  Icon’s remote planning service is designed to work in collaboration with local cancer centres. While the treatment plan is developed remotely, local clinicians administer the therapy and provide ongoing care. This collaborative model enhances the capabilities of local teams and enables seamless patient care.

• Technology-driven excellence
  Icon’s radiation therapy planning function harnesses the latest in cloud-based technology, advanced imaging, and AI to create personalised treatment plans. Partnering with leading organisations, like Varian and Radformation, the team delivers first-to-market technologies, playing a significant role in developing new techniques and rolling out the latest radiation therapy faster.

A recent example is Icon’s exponential increase of stereotactic radiation therapy treatments – a highly complex and precise therapy delivered over a shorter duration of time and used to treat a wide range of cancers. In 2018, around 10% of all treatment cases at Icon were stereotactic treatments. By FY 2024, this number increased to 15.7%. This shift toward more advanced and efficient treatments is not only improving patient outcomes but also reflects the streamlining of credentialing, training, and processes within Icon’s remote planning capabilities.

Through utilising innovative teams, like Icon’s remote planning we’re breaking down barriers to cancer care and finding effective workforce solutions and tools to deliver world-class care, anywhere.