Impact of National Recovery and Resilience Plan funding on SBRT technology in Italy: Insights from a national survey of medical physicists.

Authors

Paolo Caricato, Nicola Padula, Francesca Romana Giglioli, Serenella Russo, Fabrizio Banci Buonamici, Carlo Cavedon, Edoardo Mastella, Pietro Mancosu, Alessandro Scaggion

Published in

Physica medica : PM : an international journal devoted to the applications of physics to medicine and biology : official journal of the Italian Association of Biomedical Physics (AIFB). Volume 148. Pages 105875. Jul 09, 2026. Epub Jul 09, 2026.

Abstract

This study provides a nationwide assessment of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) technical standards in Italy in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) era, from the perspective of medical physicists, evaluating pre-investment status, innovation needs, NRRP-driven acquisitions, and perceived impact on SBRT practice.
A nationwide survey by the Italian Association of Medical Physics (AIFM) SBRT Working Group was distributed to medical physicists in Italian radiotherapy centres. The questionnaire investigated technical implementation, available technologies, perceived needs (2020-2022), acquisitions and planned investments (2023-2025), funding sources, and perceived impact. Responses were stratified by geographic area, SBRT experience, annual SBRT accrual, and a composite SBRT Technology Index.
Sixty-nine responses were collected, representing 37% of Italian RT centres (86% public institutions, of which 78% reported NRRP-funded acquisitions). Most centres reported a 10-25% increase in SBRT activity between 2022 and 2025. Compared to previous Italian and European data, availability of advanced delivery platforms, volumetric image guidance, six-degree-of-freedom couches, and type-C calculation algorithms increased markedly. Personnel education and dosimetry tools were identified as relevant needs by > 50% of respondents. NRRP funding mainly supported linac replacement and imaging technologies in public centres, while software-based innovations and workflow optimisation tools were mainly acquired through non-NRRP funding. Despite investments, the perceived impact was moderate, and ∼ 50% of respondents reported that additional investments and organisational changes are needed to fully exploit the technologies.
NRRP funding accelerated SBRT technological modernisation in Italy. However, sustained and harmonised practice will require complementary investments in training, workflow integration, and organisational capacity.

PMID:
42424687
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 10 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.