Feasibility study of using statistical process control to customized quality assurance in proton therapy
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Myongji Hospital, Goyang 412-270 (Korea, Republic of)
- Proton Therapy Center, National Cancer Center, Goyang 410-769 (Korea, Republic of)
- Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California, San Diego, California 92093 (United States)
Purpose: To evaluate and improve the reliability of proton quality assurance (QA) processes and, to provide an optimal customized tolerance level using the statistical process control (SPC) methodology. Methods: The authors investigated the consistency check of dose per monitor unit (D/MU) and range in proton beams to see whether it was within the tolerance level of the daily QA process. This study analyzed the difference between the measured and calculated ranges along the central axis to improve the patient-specific QA process in proton beams by using process capability indices. Results: The authors established a customized tolerance level of ±2% for D/MU and ±0.5 mm for beam range in the daily proton QA process. In the authors’ analysis of the process capability indices, the patient-specific range measurements were capable of a specification limit of ±2% in clinical plans. Conclusions: SPC methodology is a useful tool for customizing the optimal QA tolerance levels and improving the quality of proton machine maintenance, treatment delivery, and ultimately patient safety.
- OSTI ID:
- 22409553
- Journal Information:
- Medical Physics, Vol. 41, Issue 9; Other Information: (c) 2014 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-2405
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
SU-D-BRC-02: Application of Six Sigma Approach to Improve the Efficiency of Patient-Specific QA in Proton Therapy
Improving spot-scanning proton therapy patient specific quality assurance with HPlusQA, a second-check dose calculation engine