scholarly journals Recent advances in Surface Guided Radiation Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Freislederer ◽  
M. Kügele ◽  
M. Öllers ◽  
A. Swinnen ◽  
T.-O. Sauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Imaging Technique ◽  
Patient Treatment ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Breath Hold ◽  
Breast Irradiation ◽  
Clinical Practices ◽  
Motion Management ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract The growing acceptance and recognition of Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT) as a promising imaging technique has supported its recent spread in a large number of radiation oncology facilities. Although this technology is not new, many aspects of it have only recently been exploited. This review focuses on the latest SGRT developments, both in the field of general clinical applications and special techniques. SGRT has a wide range of applications, including patient positioning with real-time feedback, patient monitoring throughout the treatment fraction, and motion management (as beam-gating in free-breathing or deep-inspiration breath-hold). Special radiotherapy modalities such as accelerated partial breast irradiation, particle radiotherapy, and pediatrics are the most recent SGRT developments. The fact that SGRT is nowadays used at various body sites has resulted in the need to adapt SGRT workflows to each body site. Current SGRT applications range from traditional breast irradiation, to thoracic, abdominal, or pelvic tumor sites, and include intracranial localizations. Following the latest SGRT applications and their specifications/requirements, a stricter quality assurance program needs to be ensured. Recent publications highlight the need to adapt quality assurance to the radiotherapy equipment type, SGRT technology, anatomic treatment sites, and clinical workflows, which results in a complex and extensive set of tests. Moreover, this review gives an outlook on the leading research trends. In particular, the potential to use deformable surfaces as motion surrogates, to use SGRT to detect anatomical variations along the treatment course, and to help in the establishment of personalized patient treatment (optimized margins and motion management strategies) are increasingly important research topics. SGRT is also emerging in the field of patient safety and integrates measures to reduce common radiotherapeutic risk events (e.g. facial and treatment accessories recognition). This review covers the latest clinical practices of SGRT and provides an outlook on potential applications of this imaging technique. It is intended to provide guidance for new users during the implementation, while triggering experienced users to further explore SGRT applications.

scholarly journals A novel compound 6D-offset simulating phantom and quality assurance program for stereotactic image-guided radiation therapy system

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 100-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Yuen-Kan Ngar ◽  
Michael Lok-Man Cheung ◽  
Michael Koon-Ming Kam ◽  
Wai-Sang Poon ◽  
Anthony Tak-Cheung Chan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Image Guided Radiation Therapy ◽  
Image Guided

scholarly journals 172 The Mississippi Beef Quality Assurance Program: Certification Demographics from 2015 to 2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 3-4
Author(s):  
Alexandra M Pittman ◽  
Brandi Karisch ◽  
Carla Huston
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Program Effectiveness ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Educational Materials ◽  
Beef Quality ◽  
Bumper Sticker ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Current Program ◽  
Beef Quality Assurance

Abstract The Mississippi Beef Quality Assurance Program (BQA) has been in place since the early 1990s. In 2015, program materials and format were updated to reflect changing needs of clientele. The current program is a combination of in-person presentation with demonstration of tools such as castration equipment, needles, syringes, etc. to supplement the educational materials. Each registered participant receives a manual, tri-fold supplement, cooler, bumper sticker, and certificate upon completion of the certification. After viewing the presentation, participants complete a 14-question exam to test their knowledge of materials important to the BQA program. Upon passing the exam, participants receive certification, which is valid for 3 yr. Certification events are encouraged to include multiple counties, and reach a wide range of producers. In 2015 to 2017, events were specifically scheduled by state coordinators to ensure cattle producers in all areas of the state had the opportunity to attend a nearby program. Events were also held on an as requested basis. At the end of each certification, participants completed an anonymous survey reporting information on demographics and program effectiveness. From 2015 to 2019, there were 1,734 total certifications through 57 BQA programs provided. At these events, 26 states were represented. From Mississippi, 64 of 82 counties were represented. When describing total number of cattle, the majority of producers reported owning 1 to 50 head (46%) while only 3% reported owning over 1000 head. Producers also listed the total number of acres in pasture, where the majority reporting 1 to 100 acres (32%) and 6% reporting over 1000 acres. When asked to rank economic impacts, most (26%) reported an estimated more than $25 per head benefit due to increased production and marketing. In summary, producers had small number of cattle and acres of pasture but reported large economic benefits to the certification.

Fraction-specific post-treatment quality assurance for active breath-hold radiation therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 262-270
Author(s):  
Rajesh Thiyagarajan ◽  
Arunai Nambiraj ◽  
Durai Manigandan ◽  
Tamilseivan Singaravelu ◽  
Rajesh Selvaraj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Patient Comfort ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Breath Hold ◽  
Therapist Communication ◽  
Dosimetric System

AbstractPurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate variation in the treatment hold pattern and quantify its dosimetric impact in breath-hold radiotherapy, using fraction-specific post-treatment quality assurance.Material and MethodsA patient with lung mets treated using intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with active breath coordinator (ABC) was recruited for the study. Treatment beam hold conditions were recorded for all the 25 fractions. The linearity and reproducibility of the dosimetric system were measured. Variation in the dose output of unmodulated open beam with beam hold was studied. Patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) was performed with and without beam hold, and the results were compared to quantify the dosimetric impact of beam hold.ResultsThere was a considerable amount of variation observed in the number of beam hold for the given field and the monitor unit at which the beam held. Linearity and reproducibility of the dosimetric system were found within the acceptable limits. The average difference over the 25 measurements was 0·044% (0·557 to −0·318%) with standard deviation of 0·248.ConclusionPatient comfort with the ABC system and responsiveness to the therapist communication help to maintain consistent breathing pattern, in turn consistent treatment delivery pattern. However, the magnitude of dosimetric error is much less than the acceptable limits recommended by IROC. The dosimetric error induced by the beam hold is over and above the dose difference observed in conventional PSQA.

A quality assurance program for image quality of cone-beam CT guidance in radiation therapy

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 1807-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Pierre Bissonnette ◽  
Douglas J. Moseley ◽  
David A. Jaffray
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Image Quality ◽  
Cone Beam Ct ◽  
Cone Beam ◽  
Ct Guidance ◽  
Quality Assurance Program

scholarly journals Quantification of an External Motion Surrogate for Quality Assurance in Lung Cancer Radiation Therapy

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Wölfelschneider ◽  
Tobias Brandt ◽  
Sebastian Lettmaier ◽  
Rainer Fietkau ◽  
Christoph Bert
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Global Minimum ◽  
Tumor Volume ◽  
Lung Tumor ◽  
Free Breathing ◽  
Breath Hold ◽  
Target Volumes ◽  
Posterior Direction ◽  
The Stability

The purpose of this work was to validate the stability of the end exhale position in deep expiration breath hold (DEBH) technique for quality assurance in stereotactic lung tumor radiation therapy. Furthermore, a motion analysis was performed for 20 patients to evaluate breathing periods and baseline drifts based on an external surrogate. This trajectory was detected using stereo infrared (IR) cameras and reflective body markers. The respiratory waveform showed large interpatient differences in the end exhale position during irradiation up to 18.8 mm compared to the global minimum. This position depends significantly on the tumor volume. Also the baseline drifts, which occur mostly in posterior direction, are affected by the tumor size. Breathing periods, which depend mostly on the patient age, were in a range between 2.4 s and 7.0 s. Fifteen out of 20 patients, who showed a reproducible end exhale position with a deviation of less than 5 mm, might benefit from DEBH due to smaller planning target volumes (PTV) compared to free breathing irradiation and hence sparing of healthy tissue. Patients with larger uncertainties should be treated with more complex motion compensation techniques.

scholarly journals Multicentre dose audit for clinical trials of radiation therapy in Asia

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideyuki Mizuno ◽  
Shigekazu Fukuda ◽  
Akifumi Fukumura ◽  
Yuzuru-Kutsutani Nakamura ◽  
Cao Jianping ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
Radiation Dosimetry ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Relative Deviation ◽  
Single Beam ◽  
Tolerance Level ◽  
Audit System

Abstract A dose audit of 16 facilities in 11 countries has been performed within the framework of the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA) quality assurance program. The quality of radiation dosimetry varies because of the large variation in radiation therapy among the participating countries. One of the most important aspects of international multicentre clinical trials is uniformity of absolute dose between centres. The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Japan has conducted a dose audit of participating countries since 2006 by using radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeters (RGDs). RGDs have been successfully applied to a domestic postal dose audit in Japan. The authors used the same audit system to perform a dose audit of the FNCA countries. The average and standard deviation of the relative deviation between the measured and intended dose among 46 beams was 0.4% and 1.5% (k = 1), respectively. This is an excellent level of uniformity for the multicountry data. However, of the 46 beams measured, a single beam exceeded the permitted tolerance level of ±5%. We investigated the cause for this and solved the problem. This event highlights the importance of external audits in radiation therapy.

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