Moving UK breast radiotherapy forward in the IMPORT LOW trial – enabling safe change of practice through quality assurance (QA)
Year: 2008
Session type: Poster / e-Poster / Silent Theatre session
1Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK, 2National Health Service (NHS), National, UK
Abstract
IMPORT LOW is a multi-centre, randomised trial which tests whether partial breast radiotherapy is as effective and less damaging than whole breast radiotherapy in low risk, early stage breast cancer. Entering the trial has required significant change of practice for many centres in tumour bed localisation, treatment planning and delivery. The QA programme was designed to help centres make these changes efficiently and safely.
Supplementary materials such as the IMPORT clips protocol and planning pack have helped to standardise practice across the centres. The clips protocol has provided detailed guidelines to surgeons so that the required tumour bed localisation technique could be integrated as quickly as possible into routine practice. 23 out of 25 centres have adopted either surgical clips, gold seeds or ultrasound in order to become eligible for the trial.
A planning pack containing step-by-step instructions on field selection, outlining and dose compensation techniques was also provided. 3 centres have made significant changes to their planning in order to enter the trial, moving from 2D to 3D planning and introducing some form of dose compensation for the first time. All centres have provided examples of tumour bed localisation and planning and have received feedback for both.
The IMPORT LOW QA programme has had a significant impact in enabling centres to modernise localisation and planning methods for breast radiotherapy. The clips protocol and planning pack have helped centres to make these changes safely and efficiently, and the benefits have been felt both inside and outside the trial.
IMPORT LOW is a multi-centre, randomised trial which tests whether partial breast radiotherapy is as effective and less damaging than whole breast radiotherapy in low risk, early stage breast cancer. Entering the trial has required significant change of practice for many centres in tumour bed localisation, treatment planning and delivery. The QA programme was designed to help centres make these changes efficiently and safely.
Supplementary materials such as the IMPORT clips protocol and planning pack have helped to standardise practice across the centres. The clips protocol has provided detailed guidelines to surgeons so that the required tumour bed localisation technique could be integrated as quickly as possible into routine practice. 23 out of 25 centres have adopted either surgical clips, gold seeds or ultrasound in order to become eligible for the trial.
A planning pack containing step-by-step instructions on field selection, outlining and dose compensation techniques was also provided. 3 centres have made significant changes to their planning in order to enter the trial, moving from 2D to 3D planning and introducing some form of dose compensation for the first time. All centres have provided examples of tumour bed localisation and planning and have received feedback for both.
The IMPORT LOW QA programme has had a significant impact in enabling centres to modernise localisation and planning methods for breast radiotherapy. The clips protocol and planning pack have helped centres to make these changes safely and efficiently, and the benefits have been felt both inside and outside the trial.
