skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: An evaluation of the contouring abilities of medical dosimetry students for the anatomy of a prostate cancer patient

Abstract

Prostate cancer is one of the most common diseases treated in a radiation oncology department. One of the major predictors of the treatment outcome and patient side effects is the accuracy of the anatomical contours for the treatment plan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which anatomical structures are most often contoured correctly and incorrectly by medical dosimetry students. The author also wanted to discover whether a review of the contouring rules would increase contouring accuracy. To achieve this, a male computed tomography dataset consisting of 72 transverse slices was sent to students for contouring. The students were instructed to import this dataset into their treatment planning system and contour the following structures: skin, bladder, rectum, prostate, penile bulb, seminal vesicles, left femoral head, and right femoral head. Upon completion of the contours, the contour file was evaluated against a 'gold standard' contour set using StructSure software (Standard Imaging, Inc). A review of the initial contour results was conducted and then students were instructed to contour the dataset a second time. The results of this study showed significant differences between contouring sessions. These results and the standardization of contouring rules should benefit all individuals who participate inmore » the treatment planning of cancer patients.« less

Authors:
 [1]
  1. School of Allied Health, College of Applied Sciences and Arts, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22131230
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Dosimetry
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 37; Journal Issue: 3; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0958-3947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY; ACCURACY; BLADDER; COMPUTER CODES; COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY; DATASETS; DOSIMETRY; EVALUATION; FEMUR; NEOPLASMS; PATIENTS; PLANNING; PROSTATE; RECTUM; SIDE EFFECTS; SKIN; STANDARDIZATION; STANDARDS

Citation Formats

Collins, Kevin S., E-mail: kscollin@siu.edu. An evaluation of the contouring abilities of medical dosimetry students for the anatomy of a prostate cancer patient. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1016/J.MEDDOS.2011.09.003.
Collins, Kevin S., E-mail: kscollin@siu.edu. An evaluation of the contouring abilities of medical dosimetry students for the anatomy of a prostate cancer patient. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MEDDOS.2011.09.003
Collins, Kevin S., E-mail: kscollin@siu.edu. 2012. "An evaluation of the contouring abilities of medical dosimetry students for the anatomy of a prostate cancer patient". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MEDDOS.2011.09.003.
@article{osti_22131230,
title = {An evaluation of the contouring abilities of medical dosimetry students for the anatomy of a prostate cancer patient},
author = {Collins, Kevin S., E-mail: kscollin@siu.edu},
abstractNote = {Prostate cancer is one of the most common diseases treated in a radiation oncology department. One of the major predictors of the treatment outcome and patient side effects is the accuracy of the anatomical contours for the treatment plan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which anatomical structures are most often contoured correctly and incorrectly by medical dosimetry students. The author also wanted to discover whether a review of the contouring rules would increase contouring accuracy. To achieve this, a male computed tomography dataset consisting of 72 transverse slices was sent to students for contouring. The students were instructed to import this dataset into their treatment planning system and contour the following structures: skin, bladder, rectum, prostate, penile bulb, seminal vesicles, left femoral head, and right femoral head. Upon completion of the contours, the contour file was evaluated against a 'gold standard' contour set using StructSure software (Standard Imaging, Inc). A review of the initial contour results was conducted and then students were instructed to contour the dataset a second time. The results of this study showed significant differences between contouring sessions. These results and the standardization of contouring rules should benefit all individuals who participate in the treatment planning of cancer patients.},
doi = {10.1016/J.MEDDOS.2011.09.003},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22131230}, journal = {Medical Dosimetry},
issn = {0958-3947},
number = 3,
volume = 37,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}