ESTRO-ACROP guideline on surface guided radiation therapy.

Area of Science:

• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Physics
• Image-Guided Therapy

Background:

• Surface guidance systems offer non-ionizing radiation methods for patient positioning and motion monitoring.
• Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT) adoption is increasing, yet lacks standardized workflows and quality assurance (QA) protocols.
• Existing literature lacks comprehensive guidelines for the implementation and clinical use of SGRT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish recommendations for Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT) roles, responsibilities, and common challenges.
• To provide comprehensive guidelines for the procurement, acceptance, commissioning, and QA of SGRT systems.
• To facilitate consensus among SGRT users and promote safe, efficient clinical application.

Main Methods:

• Development of an ESTRO-ACROP guideline based on expert consensus.
• Review of existing SGRT workflows and identification of common challenges and potential errors.
• Formulation of recommendations for QA procedures across various SGRT-integrated systems.

Main Results:

• The guideline addresses SGRT roles and responsibilities, highlighting potential pitfalls.
• It presents comprehensive QA guidelines for SGRT systems on CT simulators, C-arm linacs, closed-bore linacs, and particle therapy systems.
• Recommendations aim to standardize SGRT implementation and clinical practice.

Conclusions:

• Standardized guidelines are crucial for the safe and effective implementation of Surface Guided Radiation Therapy (SGRT).
• This ESTRO-ACROP guideline provides a framework for SGRT roles, QA, and system integration.
• Adherence to these recommendations will enhance clinical application and patient safety in SGRT.