Susan Mercieca1,2, José S A Belderbos3, Angela van Baardwijk4, Stefan Delorme5, Marcel van Herk6. 1. a Faculty of Health Science , University of Malta . Msida , Malta. 2. b Academisch Medisch Centrum Geneeskunde Amsterdam , Noord-Holland , The Netherlands. 3. c Department of Radiation Oncology , The Netherlands Cancer Institute , Amsterdam , The Netherlands. 4. d Department of Radiation Oncology (MAASTRO), GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology , Maastricht University Medical Centre , Maastricht , The Netherlands. 5. e German Cancer Research Center (Dkfz) , Department of Radiology , Heidelberg , Germany. 6. f Manchester Academic Health Centre , University of Manchester, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust , Manchester , UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of training and interprofessional collaboration on the interobserver variation in the delineation of the lung gross tumor volume (GTVp) and lymph node (GTVln). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight target volume delineations courses were organized between 2008 and 2013. Specialists and trainees in radiation oncology were asked to delineate the GTVp and GTVln on four representative CT images of a patient diagnosed with lung cancer individually prior each course (baseline), together as group (interprofessional collaboration) and post-training. The mean delineated volume and local standard deviation (local SD) between the contours for each course group were calculated and compared with the expert delineations. RESULTS: A total 410 delineations were evaluated. The average local SD was lowest for the interprofessional collaboration (GTVp = 0.194 cm, GTVln = 0.371 cm) followed by the post-training (GTVp = 0.244 cm, GTVln = 0.607 cm) and baseline delineations (GTVp = 0.274 cm, GTVln: 0.718 cm). The mean delineated volume was smallest for the interprofessional (GTVp = 4.93 cm3, GTVln = 4.34 cm3) followed by the post-training (GTVp = 5.68 cm3, GTVln = 5.47 cm3) and baseline delineations (GTVp = 6.65 cm3, GTVln = 6.93 cm3). All delineations were larger than the expert for both GTVp and GTVln (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that image interpretational differences can lead to large interobserver variation particularly when delineating the GTVln. Interprofessional collaboration was found to have the greatest impact on reducing interobserver variation in the delineation of the GTVln. This highlights the need to develop a clinical workflow so as to ensure that difficult cases are reviewed routinely by a second radiation oncologist or radiologist so as to minimize the risk of geographical tumor miss and unnecessary irradiation to normal tissue.
BACKGROUND: To assess the impact of training and interprofessional collaboration on the interobserver variation in the delineation of the lung gross tumor volume (GTVp) and lymph node (GTVln). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight target volume delineations courses were organized between 2008 and 2013. Specialists and trainees in radiation oncology were asked to delineate the GTVp and GTVln on four representative CT images of a patient diagnosed with lung cancer individually prior each course (baseline), together as group (interprofessional collaboration) and post-training. The mean delineated volume and local standard deviation (local SD) between the contours for each course group were calculated and compared with the expert delineations. RESULTS: A total 410 delineations were evaluated. The average local SD was lowest for the interprofessional collaboration (GTVp = 0.194 cm, GTVln = 0.371 cm) followed by the post-training (GTVp = 0.244 cm, GTVln = 0.607 cm) and baseline delineations (GTVp = 0.274 cm, GTVln: 0.718 cm). The mean delineated volume was smallest for the interprofessional (GTVp = 4.93 cm3, GTVln = 4.34 cm3) followed by the post-training (GTVp = 5.68 cm3, GTVln = 5.47 cm3) and baseline delineations (GTVp = 6.65 cm3, GTVln = 6.93 cm3). All delineations were larger than the expert for both GTVp and GTVln (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that image interpretational differences can lead to large interobserver variation particularly when delineating the GTVln. Interprofessional collaboration was found to have the greatest impact on reducing interobserver variation in the delineation of the GTVln. This highlights the need to develop a clinical workflow so as to ensure that difficult cases are reviewed routinely by a second radiation oncologist or radiologist so as to minimize the risk of geographical tumor miss and unnecessary irradiation to normal tissue.
Authors: Tanja Moilanen; Mari Sivonen; Kirsi Hipp; Hanna Kallio; Oili Papinaho; Minna Stolt; Riitta Turjamaa; Arja Häggman-Laitila; Mari Kangasniemi Journal: Glob Qual Nurs Res Date: 2022-07-07
Authors: Hesham Elhalawani; Baher Elgohari; Timothy A Lin; Abdallah S R Mohamed; Thomas J Fitzgerald; Fran Laurie; Kenneth Ulin; Jayashree Kalpathy-Cramer; Thomas Guerrero; Emma B Holliday; Gregory Russo; Abhilasha Patel; William Jones; Gary V Walker; Musaddiq Awan; Mehee Choi; Roi Dagan; Omar Mahmoud; Anna Shapiro; Feng-Ming Spring Kong; Daniel Gomez; Jing Zeng; Roy Decker; Femke O B Spoelstra; Laurie E Gaspar; Lisa A Kachnic; Charles R Thomas; Paul Okunieff; Clifton D Fuller Journal: Clin Transl Radiat Oncol Date: 2019-01-06
Authors: Joeri Mul; Patrick Melchior; Enrica Seravalli; Daniel Saunders; Stephanie Bolle; Alison L Cameron; Kristin Gurtner; Semi Harrabi; Yasmin Lassen-Ramshad; Naomi Lavan; Henriette Magelssen; Henry Mandeville; Tom Boterberg; Petra S Kroon; Alexis N T J Kotte; Bianca A W Hoeben; Peter S N van Rossum; Martine van Grotel; Norbert Graf; Marry M van den Heuvel-Eibrink; Christian Rübe; Geert O Janssens Journal: Clin Transl Radiat Oncol Date: 2021-03-11