The Radiation Oncology Planning team at Calvary Mater Newcastle is grateful for funding from the Dry July Foundation to allow them to create special patient bolus which is used for radiotherapy treatment.  

In radiation therapy, bolus is often used when treating uneven areas of a patient, such as at the nose or ears, to make up for missing tissue, or to provide build-up of dose to the skin surface.  

Through Dry July funding the team was able to purchase ‘3DBolus’ software, which is the first clinical use of this new software in Australia. The software allows the department to 3D print personalised patient bolus with better ease, making it a more comfortable experience for the patients, who no longer need to be present and immobilised while the bolus is being made.  

Dr Trish Ostwald, Senior Medical Physics Specialist, Calvary Mater Newcastle says, “The most exciting thing about the software is that it allows us to modulate the bolus shape to improve treatments for some complex patient plans. By modifying the bolus we can shape the dose around the tumour and reduce radiation to nearby critical organs. Designing complex variable bolus used to be difficult, but it is much easier and more accurate with the new software.”  

The Radiation Oncology Department is now testing the 3D printed bolus and designing the clinical workflow prior to using it clinically. The initial test cases look very promising.