The bright but ephemeral life of a rainbow. A chronicle of seventeen years of intensive ESTRO-EU cooperation

Clinical evaluation of monitor unit software and the application of action levels

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was the clinical evaluation of an independent dose and monitor unit verification (MUV) software which is based on sophisticated semi-analytical modelling. The software was developed within the framework of an ESTRO project. Finally, consistent handling of dose calculation deviations applying individual action levels is discussed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A Matlab-based software ("MUV") was distributed to five well-established treatment centres in Europe (Vienna, Graz, Basel, Copenhagen, and Umeå) and evaluated as a quality assurance (QA) tool in clinical routine. Results were acquired for 226 individual treatment plans including a total of 815 radiation fields. About 150 beam verification measurements were performed for a portion of the individual treatment plans, mainly with time variable fluence patterns. The deviations between dose calculations performed with a treatment planning system (TPS) and the MUV software were scored with respect to treatment area, treatment technique, geometrical depth, radiological depth, etc.

RESULTS

In general good agreement was found between calculations performed with the different TPSs and MUV, with a mean deviation per field of 0.2+/-3.5% (1 SD) and mean deviations of 0.2+/-2.2% for composite treatment plans. For pelvic treatments less than 10% of all fields showed deviations larger than 3%. In general, when using the radiological depth for verification calculations the results and the spread in the results improved significantly, especially for head-and-neck and for thorax treatments. For IMRT head-and-neck beams, mean deviations between MUV and the local TPS were -1.0+/-7.3% for dynamic, and -1.3+/-3.2% for step-and-shoot IMRT delivery. For dynamic IMRT beams in the pelvis good agreement was obtained between MUV and the local TPS (mean: -1.6+/-1.5%). Treatment site and treatment technique dependent action levels between +/-3% and +/-5% seem to be clinically realistic if a radiological depth correction is performed, even for dynamic wedges and IMRT.

CONCLUSION

The software MUV is well suited for patient specific treatment plan QA applications and can handle all currently available treatment techniques that can be applied with standard linear accelerators. The highly sophisticated dose calculation model implemented in MUV allows investigation of systematic TPS deviations by performing calculations in homogeneous conditions.

Development of a TLD mailed system for remote dosimetry audit for 192Ir HDR and PDR sources

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In the framework of an ESTRO ESQUIRE project, the BRAPHYQS Physics Network and the EQUAL-ESTRO laboratory have developed a procedure for checking the absorbed dose to water in the vicinity of HDR or PDR sources using a mailed TLD system. The methodology and the materials used in the procedure are based on the existing EQUAL-ESTRO external radiotherapy dose checks.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A phantom for TLD postal dose assurance service, adapted to accept catheters from different HDR afterloaders, has been developed. The phantom consists of three PMMA tubes supporting catheters placed at 120 degrees around a central TLD holder. A study on the use of LiF powder type DTL 937 (Philitech) has been performed in order to establish the TLD calibration in dose-to-water at a given distance from (192)Ir source, as well as to determine all correction factors to convert the TLD reading into absorbed dose to water. The dosimetric audit is based on the comparison between the dose to water measured with the TL dosimeter and the dose calculated by the clinical TPS. Results of the audits are classified in four different levels depending on the ratio of the measured dose to the stated dose. The total uncertainty budget in the measurement of the absorbed dose to water using TLD near an (192)Ir HDR source, including TLD reading, correction factors and TLD calibration coefficient, is determined as 3.27% (1s).

RESULTS

To validate the procedures, the external audit was first tested among the members of the BRAPHYQS Network. Since November 2004, the test has been made available for use by all European brachytherapy centres. To date, 11 centres have participated in the checks and the results obtained are very encouraging. Nevertheless, one error detected has shown the usefulness of this audit.

CONCLUSION

A method of absorbed dose to water determination in the vicinity of an (192)Ir brachytherapy source was developed for the purpose of a mailed TL dosimetry system. The accuracy of the procedure was determined. This method allows a check of the whole dosimetry chain for this type of brachytherapy afterloading system and can easily be performed by mail to any institution in the European area and elsewhere. Such an external audit can be an efficient QC method complementary to internal quality control as it can reveal some errors which are not observable by other means.

Photon pencil kernel parameterisation based on beam quality index

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

New treatment techniques in radiotherapy employ increasing dose calculation complexity in treatment planning. For an adequate check of the results coming from a modern treatment planning system, clinical tools with almost the same degree of generality and accuracy as the planning system itself are needed. To fulfil this need we propose a photon pencil kernel parameterization based on a minimum of input data that can be used for phantom scatter calculations. Through scatter integration the pencil kernel model can calculate common parameters, such as TPR or phantom scatter factors, used in various dosimetric QA (quality assurance) procedures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The proposed model originates from an already published radially parameterized pencil kernel. A depth parameterization of the pencil kernel parameters has been introduced, based on a large database containing commissioned beam data for a commercial treatment planning system. The entire pencil kernel model demands only one photon beam quality index, TPR20,10, as input.

RESULTS

By comparing the dose calculation results to the extensive experimental data set in the database, it has been possible to make a thorough analysis of the resulting accuracy. The errors in calculated doses, normalized to the reference geometry, are in most cases smaller than 2%.

CONCLUSIONS

The investigation shows that a pencil kernel model based only on TPR20,10 can be used for dosimetric verification purposes in megavoltage photon beams at depths below the range of contaminating electrons.

Influence of connective tissue diseases on the expression of radiation side effects: a systematic review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Patient related co-factors may increase the risk of radiation morbidity. Connective tissue diseases (CTD) are among the co-morbidities that are relatively well studied and have been shown to be of potential clinical relevance for radiotherapy. The aim of this systematic review is to quantify the contribution of CTD to the risk of radiation related side effects.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Relevant publications reporting the outcome of radiotherapy in patients with CTD were retrieved according to a standardized query and evaluated for their methodology and quality of reporting, using defined quality criteria. A quantitative estimate of the relative risk of developing side effects in patients with CTD was derived from the observed proportions of responders in patients with or without CTD. Risk estimates were synthesized across studies.

RESULTS

Eight studies which include data of 9-209 patients who had CTD and were treated with radiotherapy were identified and reviewed. Three of these studies included data suited for further quantitative analysis. The test of the uni-directional hypothesis that patients with CTD had an increased risk of late effects after radiotherapy reached statistical significance, the one-tailed P-value being 0.03. The pooled relative risk was 2.0 with 95% confidence interval (0.99, 4.1).

CONCLUSIONS

CTD is associated with an increased risk of late radiation induced normal tissue reaction. The literature published to date provides some support for this assertion although most of the reports are plagued by methodological weaknesses, thus calling for a large coordinated study.

The EQUAL-ESTRO audit on geometric reconstruction techniques in brachytherapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A geometric check procedure of the reconstruction techniques used in brachytherapy treatment planning systems was developed by the EQUAL (European Quality Laboratory) Laboratory in the framework of the ESTRO's (European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology) project 'ESQUIRE' (Education Science and QUality assurance In Radiotherapy in Europe [Baumann M, Brada M. Towards equity in turbulent Europe ESTRO, European cooperation and the European Commission. Radiother Oncol 2005;75:251-2. Heeren G. The bright but ephemeral life of a rainbow. A chronical of seventeen years of intensive ESTRO-EU cooperation. Radiother Oncol 2005;75:253-7]) by the task group Braphyqs (Brachytherapy physics quality system).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The check is performed by using the so-called 'Baltas' phantom, mailed to the participating centres in order to check the local technique of geometric reconstruction used in dose calculation.

RESULTS

To validate the procedures, the check was first tested among the members of the Braphyqs Network. Since November 2002, the system is open to other centres. Until now 152 reconstructions have been checked. Eighty-six percent of the results were within an acceptance level after the first check. For the remaining 14%, a second check has been proposed. The results of the re-checks are in most cases within an acceptance level, except for 2% of the reconstructions.

CONCLUSIONS

The geometric check is available from the EQUAL Laboratory for all the brachytherapy centres. The decrease of the deviations observed between the two checks demonstrates the importance of this kind of external audit as some errors were revealed, which were not discovered before with techniques used in clinical quality control routines.