2024 Guidelines for reporting radiation therapy in veterinary medicine

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Reporting Standards

Background:

• Accurate reporting in scientific publications is crucial for evidence-based veterinary medicine.
• A 2012 checklist for veterinary radiation therapy reporting was based on International Commission of Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) recommendations.
• Technological advancements like intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) necessitate updated reporting guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the 2012 veterinary radiation therapy reporting checklist.
• To propose an updated 2024 checklist reflecting current technological advancements.
• To assess the completeness of reporting in veterinary radiation oncology publications.

Main Methods:

• A 2012 checklist and a proposed 2024 checklist were developed.
• One hundred and eight veterinary radiation oncology publications from 2015-2022 were analyzed.
• Reporting completeness was assessed using the checklists.

Main Results:

• Reporting completeness in veterinary radiation oncology publications improved from 2005-2010 to 2015-2022, with 9 to 16 checklist items showing good completeness.
• Using the proposed 2024 checklist for publications involving IMRT and SRT, only 34% of items demonstrated good reporting completeness.
• This indicates a gap in current reporting guidelines for advanced veterinary radiation therapy techniques.

Conclusions:

• Reporting checklists have contributed to improved completeness in veterinary radiation therapy publications.
• The proposed 2024 checklist is more relevant to advanced techniques like IMRT and SRT.
• Updated guidelines are essential to ensure comprehensive reporting of modern veterinary radiation therapy practices.