Initial experience with TrueBeam trajectory log files for radiation therapy delivery verification.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Oncology
• Software Engineering

Background:

• Traditional chart checks for radiation therapy are time-consuming and labor-intensive.
• Verifying treatment parameters against expected values is crucial for patient safety.
• Log files from linear accelerators offer a comprehensive data source for verification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an automated software tool for end-to-end verification of radiation therapy treatments.
• To utilize Varian TrueBeam log files for efficient and accurate checking of treatment parameters.
• To reduce the time and labor associated with manual chart checks.

Main Methods:

• Developed an in-house software tool to read and analyze Varian TrueBeam log files.
• The software extracts delivered parameters and compares them to original treatment planning data.
• The tool was validated for accuracy and consistency in verifying 3D conformal therapy, IMRT, and other techniques.

Main Results:

• The software accurately verified multileaf collimator (MLC), jaw, and gantry positions within acceptable tolerances.
• Patient quality assurance results showed high accuracy for MLC (0.25 mm), gantry angles (0.3°), monitor unit delivery (0.13 MU), and jaw positions (1 mm).
• Delivered dose rates for flattening filter-free modes were within 1% of planned values.

Conclusions:

• The developed software provides an efficient and reliable method for end-to-end data transfer and treatment delivery verification.
• Utilizing TrueBeam log files streamlines the quality assurance process in radiation oncology.
• This automated approach enhances the accuracy and safety of various radiation delivery techniques.