Justin E Bekelman1, Joachim Yahalom. 1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Standards for the reporting of radiotherapy details in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. Although radiotherapy (RT) is an important component of curative therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we postulated that RT reporting may be inadequate in Phase III HL and NHL trials. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We searched PubMed and the Cochrane registry for reports of RCTs involving RT and either HL or NHL published between 1998 and 2007. We screened 133 titles and abstracts to identify relevant studies. We included a total of 61 reports. We assessed these reports for the presence of six quality measures: target volume, radiation dose, fractionation, radiation prescription, quality assurance (QA) process use, and adherence to QA (i.e., reporting of major or minor deviations). RESULTS: Of 61 reports, 23 (38%) described the target volume. Of the 42 reports involving involved-field RT alone, only 8 (19%) adequately described the target volume. The radiation dose and fractionation was described in most reports (54 reports [89%] and 39 reports [64%], respectively). Thirteen reports specified the RT prescription point (21%). Only 12 reports (20%) described using a RT QA process, and 7 reports (11%) described adherence to the QA process. CONCLUSION: Reporting of RT in HL and NHL RCTs is deficient. Because the interpretation, replication, and application of RCT results depend on adequate description and QA of therapeutic interventions, consensus standards for RT reporting should be developed and integrated into the peer-review process.
PURPOSE: Standards for the reporting of radiotherapy details in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are lacking. Although radiotherapy (RT) is an important component of curative therapy for Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), we postulated that RT reporting may be inadequate in Phase III HL and NHL trials. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We searched PubMed and the Cochrane registry for reports of RCTs involving RT and either HL or NHL published between 1998 and 2007. We screened 133 titles and abstracts to identify relevant studies. We included a total of 61 reports. We assessed these reports for the presence of six quality measures: target volume, radiation dose, fractionation, radiation prescription, quality assurance (QA) process use, and adherence to QA (i.e., reporting of major or minor deviations). RESULTS: Of 61 reports, 23 (38%) described the target volume. Of the 42 reports involving involved-field RT alone, only 8 (19%) adequately described the target volume. The radiation dose and fractionation was described in most reports (54 reports [89%] and 39 reports [64%], respectively). Thirteen reports specified the RT prescription point (21%). Only 12 reports (20%) described using a RT QA process, and 7 reports (11%) described adherence to the QA process. CONCLUSION: Reporting of RT in HL and NHL RCTs is deficient. Because the interpretation, replication, and application of RCT results depend on adequate description and QA of therapeutic interventions, consensus standards for RT reporting should be developed and integrated into the peer-review process.
Authors: Thomas J Fitzgerald; Maryann Bishop-Jodoin; M Giulia Cicchetti; Richard Hanusik; Sandy Kessel; Fran Laurie; Kathleen M McCarten; Janaki Moni; Richard S Pieters; Nancy Rosen; Kenneth Ulin; Marcia Urie; Allen R Chauvenet; Louis S Constine; James Deye; Bhadrasain Vikram; Debra Friedman; Robert B Marcus; Nancy P Mendenhall; Jon L Williams; James Purdy; Joel Saltz; Cindy L Schwartz; Keith S White; Suzanne Wolden Journal: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Date: 2010-05-01 Impact factor: 7.038
Authors: Yaacov Richard Lawrence; Bhadrasain Vikram; James J Dignam; Arnab Chakravarti; Mitchell Machtay; Boris Freidlin; Naoko Takebe; Walter J Curran; Soren M Bentzen; Paul Okunieff; C Norman Coleman; Adam P Dicker Journal: J Natl Cancer Inst Date: 2012-12-10 Impact factor: 13.506
Authors: Kelsey L Corrigan; Stephen Kry; Rebecca M Howell; Ramez Kouzy; Joseph Abi Jaoude; Roshal R Patel; Anuja Jhingran; Cullen Taniguchi; Albert C Koong; Mary Fran McAleer; Paige Nitsch; Claus Rödel; Emmanouil Fokas; Bruce D Minsky; Prajnan Das; C David Fuller; Ethan B Ludmir Journal: Radiother Oncol Date: 2021-11-25 Impact factor: 6.280
Authors: Laura Cella; Raffaele Liuzzi; Mario Magliulo; Manuel Conson; Luigi Camera; Marco Salvatore; Roberto Pacelli Journal: Radiat Oncol Date: 2010-05-11 Impact factor: 3.481
Authors: André N Abrunhosa-Branquinho; Raquel Bar-Deroma; Sandra Collette; Enrico Clementel; Yan Liu; Coen W Hurkmans; Loïc Feuvret; Karen Van Beek; Martin van den Bent; Brigitta G Baumert; Damien C Weber Journal: Radiother Oncol Date: 2018-03-29 Impact factor: 6.280