By studying the frontier literature of foreign radiation medicine research, Lucia Clara Orlandini hopes to bring more experience from other countries to her colleagues in China.
In 2015, 52-year-old Orlandini and her husband, a pilot, came to southwest China's Sichuan Province and settled in the provincial capital, Chengdu.
The medical hardware in Sichuan is quite good, medical linear accelerators and other equipment are advanced, and many details are considered for patients during radiotherapy procedures, Orlandini said.
Before relocating to China, Orlandini was a senior doctor in Italy with more than 20 years of clinical experience in radiophysics. She now works as a researcher at Sichuan Cancer Hospital's radiotherapy center.
As a medical physicist, Orlandini has guided her colleagues to modify their radiotherapy dosimetry standards to improve the radiotherapy level of the hospital.
The Italian expert has also adopted a radiotherapy technique that involves the more accurate positioning of equipment and marking on the patient's body surface to improve the accuracy of treatment. This ensures the effect of radiation treatment on chest tumors.
To improve the effect of radiotherapy on breast cancer patients, she uses new-type fixation equipment for breasts during treatment. She also works with the hospital's medical physicist team in monitoring exposure doses for patients using advanced equipment and techniques.
Standing next to a medical electronic linear accelerator, Orlandini carefully observes her patients' clinical reactions and records relevant data. "In addition to guiding patients' clinical radiotherapy, I'm also guiding young doctors," she said.
With the active promotion of Orlandini, Sichuan Cancer Hospital has established cooperative relations with several medical academic institutions in Italy, and many young Chinese doctors from Chengdu have undertaken further study in Italy.
Hoping that her Chinese colleagues would settle down in Italy quickly, Orlandini has helped them find suitable accommodation there.
In 2017, Orlandini received an award from the Sichuan provincial government for her efforts to promote the China-Italy friendship. In 2021, she was awarded a medal from the Italian government for her contributions to exchanges between the two countries.
Being a part of the hospital, Orlandini is also accustomed to local life. She said she loves life in Chengdu, and described it as being very "bashi," a term from the local dialect meaning "comfortable."
