Case Study: University Medical Center Groningen achieves automated robust IMPT planning with RaySearch

University Medical Center Groningen generates robust IMPT plans in under 20 minutes with RaySearch

The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) sought to automate the creation of robust treatment plans for intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for head and neck cancer patients. Manual robust planning was a cumbersome process, and the center wanted to leverage machine learning to handle uncertainties like patient setup and density variations more efficiently. They partnered with RaySearch to evaluate a new automated framework using the RayStation treatment planning system.

RaySearch implemented a machine learning planning framework within RayStation that infers a robust dose distribution for a new patient based on historical data. This automated solution generated clinically acceptable robust IMPT plans in under 20 minutes without user intervention. The resulting plans were comparable to manually created clinical plans in terms of target coverage and organ-at-risk sparing, as measured by dose values and NTCP toxicity metrics. This automation significantly reduced manual workload for UMCG, enabling quicker planning and facilitating faster patient treatment starts through automatic generation of both proton and photon plans for modality selection.

University Medical Center Groningen