Code of Practice and Recommendations for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

Extra-cranial stereotactic radiotherapy is an extension of the concepts of intracranial stereotactic treatments as detailed in NCS report 25. It applies to treatment sites elsewhere in the body, like lung, liver, prostate, vertebra and is also known as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). SBRT can be characterized as a high-dose, high-precision, highly conformal treatment technique in which the dose is administered in only a few treatment fractions (typically 5 or less). The purpose of the committee is to provide the basic requirements and guidelines for providing safe and high-quality SBRT treatments according to state of the art international standards. In the report the methodology, equipment, the treatment process and quality assurance will be covered. The focus will be on SBRT delivery on Linac based systems equipped with CBCT. Newer developments like protons and MR-guided SBRT, will only be addressed briefly.

The first meeting of this committee was 28 November 2016.

Topics to be covered

  • Pre-treatment Imaging (4DCT, PET-CT, MRI)
  • Motion management and immobilization methods
  • Treatment planning (dosimetry, target volumes and organs at risk)
  • Image guidance and treatment delivery
  • Quality Assurance (technical, process control, knowledge/skills)
  • Management of uncertainties

Members of this NCS subcommittee

  • Johan Cuijpers (VUmc, Amsterdam, Chair, jp.cuijpers-at-vumc.nl)
  • Anke van Mourik (AvL/NKI, Amsterdam)
  • Anna Petoukhova (HMC, Den Haag)
  • Richard Canters (Maastro, Maastricht)
  • Markus Wendling (UMCN, Nijmegen)
  • Siete Koch (MST, Enschede)
  • Rens Vingerhoets (NWZG, Alkmaar)
  • Chrysi Papalazarou (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam)
  • Jeroen van de Kamer (AvL/NKIrepresentative of the NCS board)
  • Petra  Kroon (UMC Utrecht, Utrecht)