title: Safety considerations for IGRT: Executive summary.
abstract: Radiation therapy is an effective cancer treatment that is constantly being transformed by technological innovation. Dedicated devices for fraction-by-fraction imaging and guidance within the treatment room have enabled image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) allowing clinicians to pursue highly conformal dose distributions, higher dose prescriptions, and shorter fractionation schedules. Capitalizing on IGRT-enabled accuracy and precision requires a strong link between IGRT practices and planning target volume (PTV) design. This is clearly central to high quality, safe radiation therapy. Failure to properly apply IGRT methods or to coordinate their use with an appropriate PTV margin can result in a treatment that is 'precisely wrong'. The white paper summarized in this executive summary recommends foundational elements and specific activities to maximize the safety and effectiveness of IGRT.
authors.affiliation: Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: david.jaffray@rmp.uhn.on.ca.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Jaffray
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Orlando, Florida.
authors.forename: Katja M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Langen
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Gikas
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mageras
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Beaumont Health System, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Robert Adams
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: EdD
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, California.
authors.forename: Arno J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mundt
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
authors.forename: Benedick
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fraass