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ACPSEM ROSG TBI working group recommendations for quality assurance in total body irradiation

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Abstract

The Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM) radiation oncology specialty group (ROSG) formed a series of working groups in 2011 to develop recommendations for guidance of radiation oncology medical physics practice within the Australasian setting. These recommendations are intended to provide guidance for safe work practices and a suitable level of quality control without detailed work instructions. It is the responsibility of the medical physicist to ensure that locally available equipment and procedures are sufficiently sensitive to establish compliance to these recommendations. The recommendations are endorsed by the ROSG, and have been subject to independent expert reviews. For the Australian audience, these recommendations should be read in conjunction with the tripartite radiation oncology practice standards [1, 2]. This publication presents the recommendations of the ACPSEM total body irradiation working group (TBIWG) and has been developed in alignment with other international associations. However, these recommendations should be read in conjunction with relevant national, state or territory legislation and local requirements, which take precedence over the ACPSEM recommendations. It is hoped that the users of this and other ACPSEM recommendations will contribute to the development of future versions through the ROSG of the ACPSEM. This document serves as a guideline for calibration and quality assurance of equipment used for TBI in Australasia.

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Abbreviations

AAPM:

American Association of Physicists in Medicine

ACPSEM:

Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine

AP:

Anterior–posterior

cGy:

Centigray

CT:

Computed tomography

Gy:

Gray

IC:

Ion chamber

ICRU:

International Commission on Radiation Units

IMRT:

Intensity modulated radiotherapy

Linac:

Linear accelerator

MOSFET:

Metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistor

MU:

Monitor unit

OAR:

Organs at risk

PA:

Posterior–anterior

PDD:

Percentage depth dose

QA:

Quality assurance

ROSG:

Radiation oncology specialty group

SAD:

Source-to-axis distance

SSD:

Source-to-surface distance

TBI:

Total body irradiation

TBIWG:

Total body irradiation working group

TLD:

Thermoluminescent detector

TMR:

Tissue-maximum ratio

TPR:

Tissue-phantom ratio

TPS:

Treatment planning system

VMAT:

Volumetric modulated arc therapy

References

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  2. Radiation Oncology Reform Implementation Committee (RORIC) Quality Working Group (2011b) Tripartite radiation oncology practice standards supplementary guide. http://www.acpsem.org.au/index.php/rosigdocuments/doc_view/555-110810-tripartite-radiation-oncology-practice-standards-supplementary-guide

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the work done by the chair of the ACPSEM ROSG, Michael Bailey, for implementation of the concept of the position papers and organisation of the Radiation Oncology working parties, and of members of the Radiation Oncology Specialty Group for their useful input.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Adelaide Hospital, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia

    Raelene Nelligan

  2. Illawarra Cancer Care Centre, Wollongong Hospital, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia

    Michael Bailey

  3. Barwon Health, University Hospital, Geelong, VIC, 3220, Australia

    Thu Tran

  4. Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Herston, QLD, 4029, Australia

    Zoë Baldwin

  5. Genesis Cancer Care, Mater Hospital, Crows Nest, NSW, 2065, Australia

    Zoë Baldwin

Authors
  1. Raelene Nelligan
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  2. Michael Bailey
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  3. Thu Tran
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  4. Zoë Baldwin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Raelene Nelligan.

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Nelligan, R., Bailey, M., Tran, T. et al. ACPSEM ROSG TBI working group recommendations for quality assurance in total body irradiation. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 38, 205–215 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-015-0344-7

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