Streamlining the Quantitative Metrics Workflow at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiology
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Accurate tumor imaging metrics are crucial for evaluating treatment efficacy in clinical trials.
• Existing workflows for quantifying and disseminating these metrics can be inefficient.
• Integrating these metrics into electronic health records (EHRs) is vital for clinical research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an efficient workflow for quantifying and disseminating tumor imaging metrics.
• To assess the clinical research utility of integrating this workflow into EHRs for radiology reporting.

Main Methods:

• A web-based application, the Quantitative Imaging Analysis Core (QIAC), was developed and integrated into the EHR.
• Radiology report turnaround times were measured before (Phase 1) and after (Phase 2) QIAC implementation.
• Data from 68 requests for prospective clinical therapeutic interventional trials were analyzed.

Main Results:

• The mean turnaround time for quantitative tumor metric results significantly decreased from 31.7 ± 35.4 hours (Phase 1) to 15.9 ± 21.3 hours (Phase 2).
• The mean time from scan to preliminary assessment was reduced from 19.6 ± 25.6 hours to 8.0 ± 9.9 hours post-implementation.
• These improvements were statistically significant (p=0.0005).

Conclusions:

• The QIAC workflow significantly improved turnaround times for quantitative tumor metrics.
• Faster access to these reports enhances their utility in clinical therapeutic trials.
• Web-based platforms integrated into EHRs offer an efficient solution for disseminating imaging metrics.