New Publication: Bio-Models to Assess Plan Robustness / Dose QA

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It has my pleasure to work with my colleagues Wolfgang Tomé and Heming Zhen on a multi-phased study on the methods and metrics of patient-specific Dose QA.

Recently, we published our third paper on this topic called “On the use of biomathematical models in patient-specific IMRT dose QA,” which was published in Medical Physics 40(7). This paper looked at how to use biological model-based DVH reduction methods to analyze dose changes observed during per-patient dose QA, but more importantly raised the idea of using bio-models to assess the “robustness” of highly conformal plans (IMRT and VMAT). That is, wouldn’t it be useful to quantify how susceptible these plans are (or would be) to TPS or delivery errors? Moreover, wouldn’t this make sense to do as part of optimizing the plan vs. after? It’s a common sense approach to quality....

Canis Lupus LLC Awards $100,000 Technology Grant to SIU Dosimetry Program

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In the past few years, I’ve developed closer collaborations with the dosimetry community, giving annual talks at the national AAMD meeting and working with Radiation Oncology Resources, Inc. to develop much-needed Quality Systems and training programs for radiation therapy. In the process, I have met more and more dosimetrists and dosimetry students, and am always impressed by their hunger to learn, improve, and share techniques and best practices. Dosimetrists are a highly collaborative population of colleagues as opposed to a competitive population of rivals. This is healthy.

As part of my commitment and appreciation for the dosimetry community, I proudly announce that I will be working with Dr. Scott Collins and his Dosimetry Master program at Southern Illinois University (Carbondale). I will be giving guest lectures, working with ROR to run plan quality projects (i.e. Plan Challenges devoted to the students), and most importantly I will be arming the students with “Quality Reports [EMR]” licenses throughout their education.

We just finished a pilot project with the outgoing class of 2013, and in just a few weeks we were already seeing how the software can help on so many fronts – from interactive education on core principles of radiation therapy, to clinical protocols and continual improvement initiatives. We now look forward to the 2014 class, and beyond.

– Ben Nelms...

ROR-US Oncology: Quality Reports Technology Integral to Landmark Agreement

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Great news! Today, the US Oncology Network (USON) and Radiation Oncology Resources (ROR) announced a landmark deal for a network-wide quality system to be integrated for the vast network of USON clinicians. This quality system will help ensure the highest quality of care and set new standards of evidence-based medicine. I am proud to say that Quality Reports [EMR] is the integral technology component to be used by ROR for benchmarking and quality improvement of radiation treatment plans.

Congratulations to both ROR and USON for your commitment to advancing quality of radiation therapy. Your wise decision and hard work will enhance the standard of care for a great many cancer patients.

Here are links to the full press release: From the “Daily Finance” website....

Quality Reports [EMR] Commercially Released

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Today, customized EMR for modern radiation therapy takes a giant leap forward with the commercial release of Quality Reports [EMR], version 1.0. The first wave of customers span the United States coast-to-coast, from North Carolina to Oregon. These new customers join an already strong base of clinical research partners who have been using the software for many months and who have submitted five related studies to annual professional meetings in North America (e.g. four submissions to ASTRO 2013).

Quality Reports [EMR]™ software, designed specifically for modern radiation therapy, generates advanced, customizable electronic reports for the patient EMR/EHR system. Quality Reports [EMR]: 1) works with all planning systems, R&V, and delivery modalities, interfacing via DICOM storage and archive; 2) automates protocols (or physician-specific goals) via quantitative, user-defined collections of critical plan metrics; and 3) creates/manages “histories” of plan quality, enabling continual improvement and ensuring meaningful use of the EMR....

Quality Reports [EMR] Begins Validation Phase

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Quality Reports [EMR] software will begin official validation testing on February 4, 2013. This is the final phase of testing this new, exciting product.

Thankfully, we have some great validation partners who have been using the software regularly for clinical EMR, powerful & automated protocols, plan quality assessment, and research. I would like to personally thank Goshen Hospital (Goshen, IN), Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, FL), and especially the great folks at L’Hôpital Rosemont-Maissoneuve (Montreal, Quebec) who have been giving excellent feedback for so many months. Merci Beaucoup, mes amis.

And last but not least, I thank my partners in this endeavor – the talented CMD’s at Radiation Oncology Resources: Greg, Kyle, Adam, Steve, and Sharath. We’ve come a long way fellas, but it’s only the beginning.

** Update: February 23rd ** Quality Reports [EMR] onsite validation is complete! Design transfer tests will be run using the “customer portal” for product and documentation downloads during the week of February 25th. User documentation and a special video training series will also be finishing up soon, wrapping up version 1.0 and allowing the official commercial release by ~March 8th....

New Publication Explores 4D Dose QA

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Check out our new publication called “Motion as a perturbation: Measurement-guided dose estimates to moving patient voxels during modulated arc deliveries,” published in the about-to-be-hot-off-the-press issue of Medical Physics (February 2013). This work was another great collaboration with Dr. Vladimir Feygelman and his team at Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, FL).

** Update February 11th ** This publication was recently named one of the “Editor’s Picks” for volume 40(2) of Medical Physics. This means that you can download the full paper PDF for free from the Medical Physics website.

This was a real labor of love for all of us. A tough bit of work, lots of moving parts (pun intended), but well worth the effort. And now the real fun begins…simulating clinical SBRT plans delivered to moving targets by highly dynamic rotating VMAT fields....