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Guidance document on delivery, treatment planning, and clinical implementation of IMRT: Report of the IMRT subcommittee of the AAPM radiation therapy committee
Author(s) -
Ezzell Gary A.,
Galvin James M.,
Low Daniel,
Palta Jatinder R.,
Rosen Isaac,
Sharpe Michael B.,
Xia Ping,
Xiao Ying,
Xing Lei,
Yu Cedric X.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.1591194
Subject(s) - multileaf collimator , medical physics , radiation treatment planning , quality assurance , medical physicist , medicine , radiation therapy , medical imaging , dosimetry , computer science , nuclear medicine , radiology , external quality assessment , pathology
Intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) represents one of the most significant technical advances in radiation therapy since the advent of the medical linear accelerator. It allows the clinical implementation of highly conformal nonconvex dose distributions. This complex but promising treatment modality is rapidly proliferating in both academic and community practice settings. However, these advances do not come without a risk. IMRT is not just an add‐on to the current radiation therapy process; it represents a new paradigm that requires the knowledge of multimodality imaging, setup uncertainties and internal organ motion, tumor control probabilities, normal tissue complication probabilities, three‐dimensional (3‐D) dose calculation and optimization, and dynamic beam delivery of nonuniform beam intensities. Therefore, the purpose of this report is to guide and assist the clinical medical physicist in developing and implementing a viable and safe IMRT program. The scope of the IMRT program is quite broad, encompassing multileaf‐collimator‐based IMRT delivery systems, goal‐based inverse treatment planning, and clinical implementation of IMRT with patient‐specific quality assurance. This report, while not prescribing specific procedures, provides the framework and guidance to allow clinical radiation oncology physicists to make judicious decisions in implementing a safe and efficient IMRT program in their clinics.