Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
10:35
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Gynecologic Cancer
Published on: April 17, 2012
18.1K
Clinical Impact of Contouring Variability for Prostate Cancer Tumor Boost
Allison Y Zhong1, Asona J Lui1, Svetlana Kuznetsova1
1Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, UC San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California.
Summary
Radiation oncologists
Area of Science:
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Imaging
- Prostate Cancer Treatment
Background:
- Focal radiation therapy (RT) boost improves prostate cancer outcomes.
- Accurate MRI tumor delineation is crucial for this technique.
- Previous studies show high variability in radiation oncologists' contouring accuracy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of contour variability and inaccuracy on predicted clinical outcomes.
- To test the hypothesis that contour inaccuracies lead to worse clinical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- 45 radiation oncologists and 2 expert radiologists contoured prostate tumors on 30 patient cases.
- A knowledge-based planning model generated focal RT boost plans.
- Probability of biochemical failure (BF) was predicted; delta BF (DBF) was calculated.
Main Results:
- Participant plans showed worse predicted outcomes than expert plans (average absolute increase in BF of 4.3%).
- 37% of participant plans had a clinically meaningful increase in BF (≥5%).
Conclusions:
- Radiation oncologists' contouring inaccuracies for focal RT boost are frequent.
- These inaccuracies can lead to significantly inferior predicted clinical outcomes for patients.
Related Concept Videos
02:07Tumor Progression
6.2K
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
6.2K
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
863
Cancer survival analysis focuses on quantifying and interpreting the time from a key starting point, such as diagnosis or the initiation of treatment, to a specific endpoint, such as remission or death. This analysis provides critical insights into treatment effectiveness and factors that influence patient outcomes, helping to shape clinical decisions and guide prognostic evaluations. A cornerstone of oncology research, survival analysis tackles the challenges of skewed, non-normally...
863