Target Contour Testing/Instructional Computer Software (TaCTICS): A Novel Training and Evaluation Platform for...

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Target volume delineation is crucial for radiation therapy treatment planning.
• Variability in target delineation among observers leads to dose discrepancies.
• There is a need for objective tools to assess and improve delineation accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce TaCTICS, a web-based educational tool for radiation therapy trainees.
• To provide quantitative metrics for evaluating inter- and intra-user target volume delineation performance.
• To enhance consistency and reduce variability in radiation therapy planning.

Main Methods:

• TaCTICS software allows users to delineate target structures using DICOM-RT files.
• Users upload their delineated structures for analysis.
• The system compares user delineations to expert-derived reference sets.
• Metrics include volume overlap and surface distance calculations.

Main Results:

• TaCTICS provides users with objective scoring based on expert comparisons.
• The software facilitates quantitative assessment of delineation skills.
• It aids in identifying areas for improvement in target volume definition.

Conclusions:

• TaCTICS serves as a valuable educational resource for improving radiation therapy target delineation.
• Quantitative feedback from TaCTICS can help standardize planning and reduce inter-observer variability.
• The tool supports the development of more consistent and accurate radiation therapy treatments.