AIMS: The aim of the study was to measure how long the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) process takes, both for planning and delivery, using several IMRT techniques and departments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Timings were measured at three radiotherapy centres for each step of the process of outlining, planning and delivering IMRT for head and neck cancers. Times were measured for a total of 63 patients; 27 with helical tomotherapy, 37 with dynamic sliding window (26 in one centre, 11 in another) and nine with step-and-shoot. RESULTS: The mean time to outline a patient was 108 min, to produce and check the plan 7.9 h, to carry out and analyse patient-specific quality assurance 1.9 h. The mean treatment time (including on-treatment verification imaging where carried out), measured gate to gate, was 28 min 10 s for first fractions and 20 min 20 s for subsequent fractions. CONCLUSION: An analysis of subgroups showed some differences in times between techniques, and some differences between departments with the same techniques. For all four techniques, the median time from the end of outlining to the start of treatment was under 3 weeks. Copyright 2010 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
AIMS: The aim of the study was to measure how long the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) process takes, both for planning and delivery, using several IMRT techniques and departments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Timings were measured at three radiotherapy centres for each step of the process of outlining, planning and delivering IMRT for head and neck cancers. Times were measured for a total of 63 patients; 27 with helical tomotherapy, 37 with dynamic sliding window (26 in one centre, 11 in another) and nine with step-and-shoot. RESULTS: The mean time to outline a patient was 108 min, to produce and check the plan 7.9 h, to carry out and analyse patient-specific quality assurance 1.9 h. The mean treatment time (including on-treatment verification imaging where carried out), measured gate to gate, was 28 min 10 s for first fractions and 20 min 20 s for subsequent fractions. CONCLUSION: An analysis of subgroups showed some differences in times between techniques, and some differences between departments with the same techniques. For all four techniques, the median time from the end of outlining to the start of treatment was under 3 weeks. Copyright 2010 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.