New quality assurance program integrating "modern radiotherapy" within the German Hodgkin Study Group

A Quality Control Study on Involved Node Radiation Therapy in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Lymphoma Study Association/Fondazione Italiana Linfomi H10 Trial on Stages I and II Hodgkin Lymphoma: Lessons Learned

PURPOSE

Involved node radiation therapy (INRT) was introduced in the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Lymphoma Study Association/Fondazione Italiana Linfomi H10 trial, a large multicenter trial in early-stage Hodgkin Lymphoma. The present study aimed to evaluate the quality of INRT in this trial.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

A retrospective, descriptive study was initiated to evaluate INRT in a representative sample encompassing approximately 10% of all irradiated patients in the H10 trial. Sampling was stratified by academic group, year of treatment, size of the treatment center, and treatment arm, and it was done proportional to the size of the strata. The sample was completed for all patients with known recurrences to enable future research on relapse patterns. Radiation therapy principle, target volume delineation and coverage, and applied technique and dose were evaluated using the EORTC Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance platform. Each case was reviewed by 2 reviewers and, in case of disagreement also by an adjudicator for a consensus evaluation.

RESULTS

Data were retrieved for 66 of 1294 irradiated patients (5.1%). Data collection and analysis were hampered more than anticipated by changes in archiving of diagnostic imaging and treatment planning systems during the running period of the trial. A review could be performed on 61 patients. The INRT principle was applied in 86.6%. Overall, 88.5% of cases were treated according to protocol. Unacceptable variations were predominately due to geographic misses of the target volume delineations. The rate of unacceptable variations decreased during trial recruitment.

CONCLUSIONS

The principle of INRT was applied in most of the reviewed patients. Almost 90% of the evaluated patients were treated according to the protocol. The present results should, however, be interpreted with caution because the number of patients evaluated was limited. Individual case reviews should be done in a prospective fashion in future trials. Radiation therapy Quality Assurance tailored to the clinical trial objectives is strongly recommended.

Risk analysis for radiotherapy at the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen

PURPOSE

Risk analysis is required by various laws and regulations in Germany and has an impact on each department of a large clinic. We provide an overview of the relevant laws and regulations in Germany and present the technical and organizational experience of introducing risk analysis in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen.

METHODS

Risk analysis was performed with an in-house developed extension of our intranet platform and ticketing system. Risks were classified according to occurrence and severity, each on a 5-level scale resulting into a risk matrix. An interdisciplinary team of six experienced members formed the core meeting weekly.

RESULTS

A total of 38 risks and 50 measures have been identified in 41 1h-meetings corresponding to approx. 260 working hours. Risk was distributed 8/20/13 to the categories critical (n=8), monitoring (n=20), and conditionally acceptable (n=13). Risk analysis has been evaluated before and after introducing measures.

CONCLUSION

The risk analysis method introduced has been successfully used in routine operations for over a year. Risk analysis takes time and effort. However, because experts from different disciplines meet each other every week, the overall workflow of the radiation oncology department can be improved efficiently and continuously.

Implementing a new scale for failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) for risk analysis in a radiation oncology department

PURPOSE

Patients and staffs are endangered by different failure modes during clinical routine in radiation oncology and risks are difficult to stratify. We implemented the method of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) via questionnaires in our institution and introduced an adapted scale applicable for radiation oncology.

METHODS

Failure modes in physical treatment planning and daily routine were detected and stratified by ranking occurrence, severity, and detectability in a questionnaire. Multiplication of these values offers the risk priority number (RPN). We implemented an ordinal rating scale (ORS) as a combination of earlier published scales from the literature. This scale was optimized for German radiation oncology. We compared RPN using this ORS versus use of a rather subjective visual analogue rating scale (VRS).

RESULTS

Mean RPN using ORS was 62.3 vs. 67.5 using VRS (p = 0.7). Use of ORS led to improved completeness of questionnaires (91 vs. 79%) and stronger agreement among the experts, especially concerning failure modes during radiation routine. The majority of interviewed experts found the analysis by using the ORS easier and expected a saving of time as well as higher intra- and interobserver reliability.

CONCLUSION

The introduced rating scale together with a questionnaire survey provides merit for conducting FMEA in radiation oncology as results are comparable to the use of VRS and the process is facilitated.

Checkpoint inhibitors and radiation treatment in Hodgkin's lymphoma : New study concepts of the German Hodgkin Study Group

BACKGROUND

Patients with classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL) have a good prognosis even in advanced stages. However, combined chemo- and radiotherapy, as the standard of care, is also associated with treatment-related toxicities such as organ damage, secondary neoplasias, infertility, or fatigue and long-term fatigue. Many patients suffer from this burden although their cHL was cured. Therefore, the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors like anti-PD1/PD-L1 antibodies in the treatment of solid cancers and also in HL offers new options. A remarkable and durable response rate with a favorable toxicity profile was observed in heavily pretreated cHL patients.

METHODS

Planning to perform prospective randomized clinical trials in the content of radio-immune treatment in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), we transferred the results of preliminary clinical studies and basic research in clinical relevant study concepts.

RESULTS

Based on these promising early phase trial data, the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) will investigate innovative treatment regimens in upcoming phase II trials.

CONCLUSION

The therapeutic efficacy and potential synergies of anti-PD1 antibodies in combination with chemo- or radiotherapy will be investigated in various settings of HL.