Background: Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) has changed clinical practice. We proposed a survey to radiotherapy centers in Lombardy to picture the current clinical practice of its use.
Research design and methods: The survey consisted of 32 multiple-choice questions, divided into five topics: type of hospital, patients treated in 2019, number of LINACs; presence of protocols and staff involved in IGRT; IGRT in stereotaxis; IGRT in non-stereotactic treatments; availability of medical and technical staff.
Results: Twenty-seven directors answered (77%). Most centers (74%) have produced protocols to ensure uniformity in the IGRT process. The most widely used IGRT modality (92%) is cone-beam CT. Daily IGRT control is favored for prostate (100%), head and neck (87%), and lung (78%) neoplasms. The resident doctors can always perform supervised IGRT matching in only six centers. Radiation therapists perform IGRT controls only for some sites in 12 cases (44%) and always in 9 cases (33%). Radiation oncologists are present in real time, in most cases.
Conclusions: Today, IGRT can be considered standard practice but at the price of more time-consuming procedures. A balance between a fully physician-controlled process and an increased role for specifically trained RTTs is actively being sought.
Keywords: cone-beam CT; image-guided radiation therapy; radiation therapists; stereotactic treatment; survey; technology.