IMRT for Medical Physicists and Radiation Oncologists
Navigating the transition from 3D RT to IMRT is a crucial point in the development of a high-quality IMRT program. Ensuring safe, proper, and consistent methods for implementation, commissioning, simulation and motion management, treatment planning, and QA are all essential components. It is the first step needed to ensure that treatment contours and plans are being applied correctly to patients as intended.
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Rayos Contra Cancer has established a 20-session training curriculum that spans 3-4 months to provide support for clinics undergoing such a transition in their radiotherapy program. Each session is approximately 1 hour long, on Zoom, and will be conducted in the local language of the clinic (e.g. English or Spanish). Attendance of 70% or more of sessions and completion of 100% of assignments (e.g. enrollment forms, evaluations, and case-based learning assignments) is required for each individual’s Certificate of Participation. See the course outline at the bottom of this page.
Curriculum Outline
1. Introduction to IMRT and IMRT treatment planning
2. Infrastructure, Hardware and software requirements
For sessions 3 to 9, participants will divide into two groups for training, then reconvene at session 10.
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For medial physicists
3. Basics of safety and implementation—consequences for shielding calculations and radiation limits
4. Acceptance Testing and Commissioning for IMRT (MLC-based delivery systems)
5. Hidden Red Flags in IMRT Treatment Planning
6. Commissioning (Part 1 of 4): Chamber choices and consequences
7. Commissioning (Part 2 of 4): How to input the beam model
8. Commissioning (Part 3 of 4): Dosimetric leaf gap
9. Commissioning (Part 4 of 4): How to Recommission a System
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For radiation oncologists
3. Decisions: Pros and Cons of IMRT
4. Contouring Concepts and Pearls*
5. Contouring Practice with Feedback*
6. Contouring Concepts and Pearls*
7. Contouring Practice with Feedback*
8. Contouring Concepts and Pearls*
9. Contouring Practice with Feedback*
10. QA for IMRT
​11. Roundtable: Feedback on QA processes
12. Patient-specific QA
13. Simulation and Motion management
14. High yield clinical applications of IMRT (Part 1 of 2)*
15. High yield clinical applications of IMRT (Part 2 of 2)*
16. Contouring for the medical physicist
17. IMRT Treatment Planning: VMAT optimization method
18. IMRT Treatment Planning: What is a good plan?
19. Review of the plan submissions by clinics
20. Acuros and Monte Carlo algorithms and VMAT
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*These will cover multiple disease sites and are taught by a physician. All other sessions are led by a medical physicist.