Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025
10:35
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Gynecologic Cancer
Published on: April 17, 2012
18.6K
RTT-led IGRT for cervix cancer; training, implementation and validation.
S E Alexander1, N Hopkins1, S Lalondrelle1,2
1The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom.
Technical Innovations & Patient Support in Radiation Oncology
|February 26, 2020
Summary
A refined training program enabled Radiation Therapists to accurately assess soft-tissue targets during Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) for cervical cancer, improving treatment precision.
Area of Science:
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Physics
- Radiotherapy Technology
Background:
- Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) for cervical cancer faces challenges due to significant organ motion.
- Accurate soft-tissue assessment is crucial for improving treatment accuracy in IGRT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and refine a training and competency program (TCP) for Radiation Therapists (RTTs).
- To enable RTT-led online soft-tissue assessment for improved IGRT in cervical cancer.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the TCP through a prospective audit.
Main Methods:
- A multidisciplinary team developed a TCP with didactic and practical sessions.
- Initial training focused on offline assessment; a redesigned program emphasized online assessment with decision support.
- RTT proficiency was assessed against a clinician gold-standard using CBCT images.
Main Results:
- The initial TCP had low pass rates (4/16).
- The redesigned TCP achieved high pass rates (21/21, ≥80% agreement).
- A prospective audit demonstrated 96% concordance between RTT and clinician reviews during daily online IGRT.
Conclusions:
- Multidisciplinary collaboration and program redesign were key to RTT skill development.
- Summative competency assessment facilitated successful clinical implementation.
- RTT-led soft-tissue IGRT for cervical cancer was successfully implemented.
