Quality assurance guidelines for interstitial hyperthermia

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Clinical Engineering

Background:

• Clinical hyperthermia, particularly interstitial techniques, requires standardized quality assurance (QA) for uniform treatment delivery.
• Tumor temperatures between 40-44°C are targeted as an adjunct to radiation or chemotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish comprehensive QA guidelines for interstitial hyperthermia treatments.
• To detail clinical and technical aspects of interstitial heat delivery for consistent, high-quality outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of clinical experience in interstitial heat delivery across various tumor sites.
• Description of technical requirements for QA of electromagnetic (radiative, capacitive) and ultrasound heating equipment.
• Specification of methods for characterizing applicator performance, focusing on output power and temperature rise.

Main Results:

• Recommendations for interstitial hyperthermia workflow and procedures are provided.
• Technical requirements for QA of interstitial heating equipment are outlined.
• Key parameters for applicator performance characterization (output power, temperature rise) are identified, defining limits for tumor size and depth.

Conclusions:

• Adherence to these QA guidelines is crucial for reproducible and high-quality interstitial hyperthermia treatments.
• Standardized technical characterization of applicators ensures effective heat delivery within defined therapeutic ranges.