Radiotherapy treatments are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Advanced techniques such as IMRT, VMAT, SRS, SBRT, and proton therapy enable highly conformal dose delivery, but also create new challenges for quality assurance.
Patient-specific quality assurance (Patient QA or PSQA) helps ensure that a treatment plan is calculated correctly and delivered as intended before or during patient treatment. Modern QA programs typically combine measurement-based verification, independent dose calculation, treatment delivery verification, and workflow automation to improve efficiency while maintaining patient safety.
Choosing the Right Patient QA Strategy
Many modern radiotherapy departments are moving toward a combination of:
- Measurement-based QA for physical dose verification
- Independent dose calculation for secondary plan validation
- Log-file and delivery verification
- Automated, risk-based QA workflows
- Centralized QA data management
By combining these approaches, clinics can improve efficiency, maintain regulatory compliance, and continue delivering safe and accurate patient treatments.
Below is an overview of key Patient QA approaches and the solutions.
Learn More:
Patient QA Solutions
1. Measurement-Based Patient QA
Measurement-based QA remains a widely used approach for verifying IMRT, VMAT, SRS, and SBRT treatment plans. A detector measures the delivered dose distribution, which is then compared with the treatment planning system (TPS) calculation.
myQA Patients
myQA Patients provides patient-specific QA for dose verification and gamma analysis. It integrates measurement data into a centralized QA workflow and helps clinicians efficiently review and approve treatment plans. It is designed to work within the broader myQA ecosystem, allowing users to manage QA results and documentation from a single platform.
Learn more:
myQA Patients
MatriXX Resolution
For high-resolution patient QA, MatriXX Resolution delivers detailed dosimetric verification for complex treatment techniques. Its high detector density supports efficient verification workflows and increased confidence for advanced treatment plans.
Learn more:
MatriXX Resolution
myQA SRS
For stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), myQA SRS provides high-resolution measurements specifically designed for very small fields and steep dose gradients. This enables accurate verification of highly precise treatment plans.
Learn more:
myQA SRS
2. Independent Dose Verification and Model-Based QA
As treatment complexity increases, many clinics are complementing measurements with independent dose calculations and automated verification methods.
myQA iON
myQA iON independently verifies TPS calculations using treatment plan data and machine delivery information. Rather than relying solely on physical measurements, it uses advanced dose calculation methods to compare planned and delivered treatments and identify potential discrepancies early in the process. This approach can significantly increase Patient QA efficiency while maintaining clinical confidence.
Benefits include:
- Independent verification of treatment plans
- Automated analysis workflows
- Comparison of planned versus delivered dose
- Support for complex radiotherapy and proton therapy treatments
Learn more:
myQA iON
3. Integrated Patient QA Workflows
Modern QA is no longer limited to individual measurements. Many departments seek connected workflows that combine patient, machine, and treatment delivery QA within a single system.
myQA Platform
The myQA Platform centralizes Patient QA and Machine QA data in a single environment. It connects applications, users, and QA results through a centralized database, helping departments standardize processes, simplify approvals, and improve traceability.
Key advantages include:
- Centralized QA data management
- Integrated patient and machine QA
- Standardized workflows across departments or sites
- Improved reporting and documentation
Learn more:
myQA Platform
4. End-to-End QA, Motion Management, and Image-Guided Radiotherapy QA
Patient-specific QA is not limited to treatment plan verification. Many modern radiotherapy workflows require validation of the complete treatment chain, including imaging, motion management, target localization, and treatment delivery.
End-to-end QA solutions help clinics verify that every step in the treatment process works accurately together, from simulation and planning through image guidance and treatment delivery.
QUASAR™ Platform HD
The QUASAR Platform HD is designed to simulate realistic patient motion and support quality assurance for motion-guided radiation therapy systems. It helps clinics validate complex workflows involving respiratory motion management, image guidance, and advanced treatment delivery techniques.
Typical applications include:
- End-to-end QA
- Motion management validation
- Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT)
- 4D treatment workflows
- SRS and SBRT workflow verification
Learn more:
QUASAR Platform HD
QUASAR™ pRESP 2.0
QUASAR pRESP 2.0 is an end-to-end phantom designed specifically for respiratory motion management QA. It enables verification of imaging, planning, gating, tracking, and treatment delivery processes under realistic breathing conditions.
This solution is particularly valuable for clinics performing:
- End-to-end QA
- Lung SBRT
- Respiratory-gated treatments
- Tracking-based radiotherapy
- Motion-managed treatment delivery
Learn more:
QUASAR pRESP 2.0
QUASAR™ MRI⁴D Motion Phantom
As MR-guided radiotherapy continues to grow, dedicated QA tools are needed to validate motion-aware imaging and treatment workflows.
The QUASAR MRI⁴D Motion Phantom is an MR-safe programmable motion phantom designed to test and validate 4D treatment delivery protocols on MR simulators and MR-Linac systems.
Applications include:
- MR-guided radiotherapy
- MR-Linac commissioning
- Motion management QA
- 4D imaging validation
- End-to-end workflow testing
Learn more:
QUASAR MRI⁴D Motion Phantom
5. Patient QA for Proton Therapy
Proton therapy introduces additional complexity due to its sensitivity to setup, anatomy, and delivery conditions. Patient-specific QA solutions therefore require dedicated verification tools.
Learn more:
Proton Therapy QA Solutions
Please contact us for more details any time:
How can I contact IBA Dosimetry for sales related questions?