An Analysis of Radiotherapy Machine Requirements in India: Impact of the Pandemic and Regional Disparities.

Aim: This article examines India's present radiotherapy (RT) machine status and requirements, geographical distribution, and infrastructure need in six regional areas, which include 31 member states and union territories (UTs). It also considers the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on India's teletherapy sector.

Materials And Methods: Data from reliable resources, including Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Global Cancer Observatory, and Directory of Radiotherapy Centres databases, were used to analyze the current status of RT machine (RTM) density, regional disparity, and COVID-19 impact on infrastructure growth-rate.

Comparison of three Radiotherapy Techniques Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy with Variable and Constant Dose Rate and Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for the Irradiation of Five Cancer Sites.

Background: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is mostly considered due to its superior tumor coverage and sparing of organs at risk (OAR) with shorter treatment delivery time.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the feasibility and potential benefits of VMAT with a constant dose rate (CDR).

Material And Methods: In this analytical study, 75 cancer patients (15 from each cancer) were selected.

Analyzing Global Cancer Control: Progress of National Cancer Control Programs through Composite Indicators and Regression Modeling.

Aim: Cancer is a significant public health concern, and National Cancer Control Programs (NCCPs) are crucial for reducing its burden. However, assessing the progress of NCCPs is challenging due to the complexity of cancer control outcomes and the various factors that influence them. Composite indicators can provide a comprehensive and accurate assessment of NCCP progress.

Setup time analysis for stereotactic body radiotherapy in O-ring linear accelerator without rotational correction.

This study analyse setup time (ST) and frequency of on-board imaging for stereotactic abdomen (liver, stomach), lung, and spine radiotherapy in the absence of automatic rotational correction. Total 53 stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) patients, 28 of abdomen, 19 lung, and 6 spine treated for 230 sessions in O-ring gantry accelerator were evaluated for ST analysis. The mean setup time for all patients, abdomen, lung, and spine cases were 7.

Gender Parity in Healthcare: A Chronicle of Escalating Success Rate of Female Radiation Oncologists in India.

Biplab Sarkar  This editorial describes the growth pattern of female radiation oncologists (FRO) in India and the prediction of gender equality through a mathematical formulation.  Among the countries in South Asia, India has the largest population of radiation oncologists (RO), a total of 3,763: 1,286 female and 2,477 male radiation oncologists (MROs), and they are registered with the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India (AROI). The data were analyzed to find the differential and cumulative growth pattern of the FROs and MROs and predict gender equality in radiation oncology.

Planning System-dependent Recommendations of Intensity-modulated Technique for Breast Radiotherapy: A Literature Review-based Adaptation and Institutional Dosimetric Experience from a Large-volume Tertiary Cancer Care Hospital.

This article aims to identify, through a literature review, the best intensity-modulated technique (IMRT)/volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for the breast/chest wall (Br/CW) as a function of the treatment planning system (TPS) and present the institutional dosimetric data for the same. A PubMed search was conducted following intensity-modulated irradiation techniques (IMRT) presented in the study: field-in-field (FiF), tangential IMRT (t-IMRT), multi-field IMRT, tangential VMAT (t-VMAT), half-arc VMAT (HA-VMAT), and large arc VMAT (LA-VMAT). The literature with at least one arm VMAT is included in this study.

Customizing Treatment Scheduling Windows with a Time Margin Recipe: A Single-institutional Study.

Purpose: Rising cancer incidences, complex treatment techniques, and workflows have all impacted the radiotherapy scheduling process. Intelligent appointment scheduling is needed to help radiotherapy users adapt to new practices.

Materials And Methods: We utilized van Herk's safety margin formula to determine the radiotherapy department's treatment scheduling window (TSW).

Application of a Comprehensive Treatment Planning Test for Credentialing Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy and RapidArc in a TrueBeam Linear Accelerator Setup.

An extended version of task group report (TG)-119 dosimetric tests was introduced and tested on the TrueBeam linear accelerator setup. Treatment plan results and quality assurance (QA) results of RapidArc (RA) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were compared to understand the limitation and efficacy of the RA and IMRT system of the linear accelerator. Test structure sets were drawn on OCTAVIUS four-dimensional (4D) phantom computed tomography scan data for this study.

Efficient and Reliable Data Extraction in Radiation Oncology using Python Programming Language: A Pilot Study.

Background And Purpose: In recent years, data science approaches have entered health-care systems such as radiology, pathology, and radiation oncology. In our pilot study, we developed an automated data mining approach to extract data from a treatment planning system (TPS) with high speed, maximum accuracy, and little human interaction. We compared the amount of time required for manual data extraction versus the automated data mining technique.

Calculation of set-up margin in frameless stereotactic radiotherapy accounting for translational and rotational patient positing error.

Context: Rotation corrected set-up margins in stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT).

Aims: This study aimed to calculate the rotational positional error corrected set-up margin in frameless SRT.

Settings And Design: 6D setup errors for the steriotactic radiotherapy patients were converted to 3D translational only error mathematically.

EVALUATION OF PATIENT-SPECIFIC IMRT QUALITY ASSURANCE AND POINT DOSE MEASUREMENT FOR COMPLEX HEAD AND NECK AND BRAIN CANCER USING GAFCHROMIC EBT3 FILM.

Patient-specific intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) quality assurance (QA) is essential for complex radiotherapy treatment as it involves complex intensity modulation and high-dose gradient regions. IMRT QA was performed by point dose verification and two-dimensional (2D) dose distribution measurement using gamma method. Calibrated External Beam Therapy 3 (EBT3) film was used for point dose and pre-treatment verification of 10 IMRT plans, five complex Head and Neck (HN) and five brain cases.

Determination of Multileaf Collimator Positional Errors as a Function of Dose Rate, Speed, and Delivery Interruption for Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy Delivery.

Aim: To determine the multileaf collimator positional error (MLC-PE) during volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) delivery by studying the time-dependent MLC velocity in mathematically derivable trajectories such as straight line and conic sections.

Materials And Methods: VMAT delivery is planned in a way that MLCs are moving in a locus which can be defined by mathematical functions such as linear, parabolic, or circular velocity (PV or CV). The VMAT delivery was interrupted either once or multiple times during the delivery and projection images of the same were acquired in electronic portal imaging device.

Challenges faced by female radiation oncologists (FRO) in South Asia.

Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the personal challenges, work environment, and financial satisfaction of female radiation oncologists (FRO) in South Asia.

Material And Method: A 28-point online survey was answered by 296 FRO from south Asia. The study comprised of seven sections: personal, professional, family, economic, workplace burnout, research/academic components, and challenges exclusive to being a working woman.

Rotational positional error-corrected linear set-up margin calculation technique for lung stereotactic body radiotherapy in a dual imaging environment of 4-D cone beam CT and ExacTrac stereoscopic imaging.

Objective: Accurate calculation of set-up margin is a prerequisite to arrive at the most optimal clinical to planning target volume margin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the compatibility of different on-board and in-room stereoscopic imaging modalities by calculating the set-up margins (SM) in stereotactic body radiotherapy technique accounting and unaccounting for rotational positional errors (PE). Further, we calculated separate SMs one based on residual positional errors and another based on residual + intrafraction positional errors from the imaging data obtained in a dual imaging environment.

Technical Note: Rotational positional error corrected intrafraction set-up margins in stereotactic radiotherapy: A spatial assessment for coplanar and noncoplanar geometry.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to calculate setup margin based on six-dimensional (6D) corrected residual positional errors from kV cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and from intrafraction projection kV imaging in coplanar and in noncoplanar couch positions in stereotactic radiotherapy.

Methods: Six dimensional positional corrections were carried out before patient treatments, using a robotic couch and CBCT matching. A CBCT and stereoscopic ExacTrac image were acquired post-table position correction.

Derivative based sensitivity analysis of gamma index.

Originally developed as a tool for patient-specific quality assurance in advanced treatment delivery methods to compare between measured and calculated dose distributions, the gamma index (γ) concept was later extended to compare between any two dose distributions. It takes into effect both the dose difference (DD) and distance-to-agreement (DTA) measurements in the comparison. Its strength lies in its capability to give a quantitative value for the analysis, unlike other methods.