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Rangaswamy G, Nicholson J, Wallace N, Connolly E, Houlihan O, Monaghan O, Trousdell J, Skourou C, Rohan C, Foley D, Duane FK, O'Neill BD, Thirion P, Cunningham M, Brennan SM, McArdle O. Enhancing Specialist Training in Radiation Oncology through the Implementation of Structured Radiotherapy Contouring Workshops. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2023; 117:e538-e539. [PMID: 37785664 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2023.06.1829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) Contouring tumor volumes and organs at risk is a key component of Radiation Oncology specialist training. As trainees rotate through different tumor sites, they are expected to develop proficiency in contouring skills relevant to their year of training. These skills have historically been acquired in an unstructured manner during supervised clinical work. However, trainees often struggle to learn these skills due to variability in practice and approach amongst senior colleagues. Research has shown that contouring workshops improve the standardization of contouring and can be an effective way of enhancing the learning experience through interaction, instant feedback and reflection. We present our experience of implementing structured contouring workshops and the feedback received from the trainees. MATERIALS/METHODS Eight contouring workshops were held in our institution over a period of 3 years between 2019 and 2022. These included Head & Neck (3), Prostate (1), SABR Lung (2), Breast (1), and Esophagus (1). Six were held in-person pre-COVID and two in a virtual format during the pandemic. Each workshop was 2 hours long and attended by trainees with varying levels of contouring experience. All the workshops were facilitated by a consultant radiation oncologist and a clinical tutor and followed a similar format consisting of a brief tutorial on the tumor site, followed by a contouring demonstration on an anonymized case on an Eclipse planning platform referencing published contouring atlases. Each of the trainees had access to a copy of the same case throughout the workshop and their contours were then reviewed both individually and collectively. A key component of the workshops was instant feedback, as trainees could compare their contours to that of the tutors and discuss any differences. Feedback on the contouring workshop was then collected through a post workshop questionnaire. RESULTS The workshops were attended by an average of 12 trainees (range 10 to 14). Regardless of their year of training, all trainees rated the content and format of the workshops highly and stated they were relevant to their daily practice. Their subjective level of confidence in contouring in that specific tumor site improved significantly, going from an average of 5.6 out of 10 (range of 4 to 7) before the workshop to 8.7 (range of 8 to 9) after the 8 workshops. All the workshops were conducted at no extra cost as they were held using our existing planning software. CONCLUSION The trainees indicated that the workshops were of definite educational benefit and strongly supported incorporating this approach to teaching contouring skills into the curriculum. Based on this feedback, these contouring workshops have been integrated into the recently revised higher specialist training curriculum on a more structured basis. This will ensure that trainees will continue to develop progressive expertise in contouring skills in keeping with best international practice as they advance through their training scheme.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Rangaswamy
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - J Nicholson
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - N Wallace
- Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland; Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland
| | - E Connolly
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - O Houlihan
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - O Monaghan
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - J Trousdell
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - C Skourou
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - C Rohan
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - D Foley
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - F K Duane
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - B D O'Neill
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland
| | - P Thirion
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - M Cunningham
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - S M Brennan
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
| | - O McArdle
- St.Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, Dublin, Ireland; Faculty of Radiologists and Radiation Oncologists, RCSI, Dublin, Ireland
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Rangaswamy G, McNulty M, Browne D, Sharma P, Walkins F, Burke M, Houlihan O, Skourou C, Dunne M, Fitzpatrick D, El Beltagi N, Faul C. PO-1142 Clinical outcomes following Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases from Ovarian Carcinoma. Radiother Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(22)03106-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Houlihan O, Byrne M, Workman G, Esteve S, McGivern U, Drake A, Baird E. PO-1330 Radical chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer: current practice and avenues for future investment. Radiother Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(22)03294-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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McNulty M, Waldron O, Ather M, Rangaswamy G, Houlihan O, Dunne M, Curran B, Ryan S, Skourou C, El Beltagi N, Fitzpatrick D, O'Sullivan S, Faul C. PO-1141 Stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy for spinal metastases; A single institution study. Radiother Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(22)03105-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Houlihan O, Marlow E, Esteve S, Workman G, Byrne M, McGarry C, Grattan M, O'Keeffe S, Prise K, Hounsell A, Jain S. PD-0813 In vivo dosimetry: Optical fibre characterisation for use in adaptive HDR pelvic brachytherapy. Radiother Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(22)02954-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Rangaswamy G, Houlihan O, Nicholson J, O’Driscoll H, Dunne M, Skourou C, Faul C, Fitzpatrick D. PO-1062 Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Brain Metastases from Renal Cell Carcinoma: A retrospective study. Radiother Oncol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(21)07513-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Houlihan O, Rangaswamy G, Dunne M, Fennell L, Skourou C, Faul C, Fitzpatrick D. PO-1044 Stereotactic radiosurgery for meningioma: a single institution retrospective analysis. Radiother Oncol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(21)07495-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Houlihan O, Ntentas G, Cutter D, Daly P, Gillham C, McArdle O, Duane F. PO-1082 Predicted cardiac and second cancer risks following treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma in Ireland. Radiother Oncol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(21)07533-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Houlihan O, O'Sullivan S, Dunne M, Salib O, Gillham C, McVey G, Faul C, Cunningham M, Armstrong J, McNamara D, O'Neill B. EP-1289: Anal squamous cell carcinoma; a retrospective case series. Radiother Oncol 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(16)32539-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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