GEC-ESTRO guidelines for commissioning and quality assurance of TG-43 based brachytherapy treatment planning systems

This report defines practical guidelines for (a) commissioning a TG-43-based treatment planning system for brachytherapy, and (b) establishing a continuous quality assurance program for the TPS. The main functionalities of the TPS are described, including image import and geometry, source specification, dose calculation, applicator specification and treatment plan data output, and recommended tests are given. For all tests, the frequency and tolerance are summarized in tables. For the different imaging modalities detailed descriptions of the necessary phantoms are provided in the supplementary data. These guidelines aim to help physicists to setup a comprehensive quality management program for BT TPSs.