Rethinking Collaboration: The Future of Patient Positioning

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. The most groundbreaking advancements in radiotherapy—whether in AI, imaging, or treatment delivery—have come from the cross-pollination of expertise across disciplines and industries.

Patient positioning manufacturers understand the need for collaboration, but often refuse to look past their own business models. Many are reluctant to interfere with their main revenue streams, such as thermoplastic masks, despite the growing evidence that better solutions may exist.

This hesitation to challenge the status quo is holding the industry back. Meanwhile, other areas of radiotherapy—such as machine learning-driven treatment planning and MRI-guided therapy—have embraced collaboration between software developers, clinicians, and medical physicists. The result? Faster, more effective treatments.

So why isn’t patient positioning following suit?

Are companies too risk-averse to explore new revenue models? Is there a fear of disrupting existing supply chains? Or is it simply easier to maintain the status quo?

Whatever the reason, patient positioning cannot afford to stagnate while the rest of radiotherapy pushes forward. True innovation in this field will come when manufacturers stop seeing themselves as isolated players and start embracing collaborations that challenge old models and drive meaningful progress.

Innovation isn’t defined by the innovator—it’s defined by the needs of those it serves. If we fail to adapt, we aren’t just resisting change; we’re failing the very patients who rely on us.

—Bas