Personal computer based teletherapy CT-RT treatment planning system (TSG-RADPLAN).

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiotherapy Technology
• Computer Science

Background:

• Radiotherapy treatment planning requires sophisticated systems.
• Existing systems may not meet all clinical and budgetary needs.
• Personal computer technology offers potential for cost-effective solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and install a radiotherapy treatment planning system on a personal computer.
• To meet the clinical demands and budgetary constraints of radiotherapy departments.
• To provide accurate and efficient dose calculations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an IBM compatible PC-AT with a 16-bit microprocessor and 40 MB hard disk.
• Integrated an analog-to-digital conversion card and digitizer for contour data input.
• Developed CT-Interface software for transferring patient data (contours, density matrix) from CT scanners.
• Supported software for teletherapy, brachytherapy, combined therapy, and cancer registry.
• Programmed in BASIC, C, and Assembly languages under MS-DOS Version 3.21.

Main Results:

• The system demonstrates high performance in terms of speed and accuracy for dose calculations.
• It facilitates the transfer of essential patient data from CT images.
• Supports various radiotherapy treatment modalities and cancer registry functions.
• Outputs final dose distribution results in text or graphics via a printer/plotter.

Conclusions:

• A PC-based radiotherapy treatment planning system can be effectively implemented.
• The system provides a cost-effective solution for radiotherapy departments.
• It offers accurate and efficient dose calculations, supporting clinical decision-making.