Working Group is developing new guidelines for the brachytherapy radiation

The dose of radiation to the prostate and adjacent organs should be delivered in any careful analysis after implantation of brachytherapy with CT or MRI documented and uniformly in all patients, according to a new directive co-Yan Yu, Ph.D. D., director of medical physics written in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University. The guidelines were issued by a working group of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) has commissioned and published in the November 2009 issue of Medical Physics.

With the widespread use of dosimetry imaging, it is necessary to develop a consensus methodology for dose prescription and reporting for prostate brachytherapy. The dosimetric parameters for the assessment of implant to use based on the division of medical prostate, rectum, bladder and urethra on post-implant imaging such as CT. Many groups have shown that such a definition may be very variable.

In order to provide information consistent and reproducible dosimetry has not resulted in costs of health care have increased the AAPM Task Group 137 new recommendations and guidelines for the moment, the criteria for planning the dose of imagery and parameters, dose-assessment documentation for each brachytherapy treatment should be pursued.

"This is an update in due course the original AAPM Task Group 64 Report, which has been in setting standards for the practice is already in brachytherapy to treat prostate cancer has been released significantly involved, "said Yu, who chaired the original Group 64 in the years 1998-1999." sophisticated techniques such as planning in real time brachytherapy image-guided implantation of robotics and dynamic dose verification are either here or imminent. The field requires a high degree of standardization, which is exactly what 137 Working Group has been invited to respond. "

Based on the last brachytherapy literature, the new report of the AAPM Task Group recommended guidelines for the prescription dose from a standpoint of physical care to patients in routine clinical testing and developer of software for planning treatment. Continue the current recommendations for the use of D90 and V100 will follow the primary quantities, with more precise guidelines for the use of imaging techniques for evaluation after implantation and the optimal timing of radionuclide imaging specific. In addition, promoting the new report to use a model of radiation, with a particular set of parameters relative comparison of treatment plans of various institutions under various working models, or radionuclides