Imaging and Data Acquisition in Clinical Trials for Radiation Therapy

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016 Feb 1;94(2):404-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2015.10.028. Epub 2015 Oct 24.

Abstract

Cancer treatment evolves through oncology clinical trials. Cancer trials are multimodal and complex. Assuring high-quality data are available to answer not only study objectives but also questions not anticipated at study initiation is the role of quality assurance. The National Cancer Institute reorganized its cancer clinical trials program in 2014. The National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) was formed and within it was established a Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance Organization. This organization is Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core, the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Group, consisting of 6 quality assurance centers that provide imaging and radiation therapy quality assurance for the NCTN. Sophisticated imaging is used for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management as well as for image-driven technologies to plan and execute radiation treatment. Integration of imaging and radiation oncology data acquisition, review, management, and archive strategies are essential for trial compliance and future research. Lessons learned from previous trials are and provide evidence to support diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy data acquisition in NCTN trials.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Child
  • Clinical Trials as Topic / standards*
  • Data Collection / standards
  • Diagnostic Imaging / methods
  • Diagnostic Imaging / standards*
  • Female
  • Hodgkin Disease / diagnosis
  • Hodgkin Disease / radiotherapy
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Lung Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • National Cancer Institute (U.S.) / organization & administration*
  • Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Neoplasms / radiotherapy*
  • Precision Medicine
  • Quality Assurance, Health Care*
  • United States